Do you like street art? It's a new decorative trend trend that interests you? It's present everywhere you look, or do you already see it in your friends' living rooms? Do you want to know who created Street Art?
The graffiti that appeared on walls and train cars in 1926 is an excellent example of Street Art. It was created by New York gangs in the 1920s and 1930s.
We are experts in in this field if you want to learn more about this world. We will address the following points in this article:
- Where was Street Art born?
- Its origins: A brief explanation about the emergence of Street Art in France.
- Street Art: How can it be defined?
- What are the techniques? Graffiti, Stencil, etc.
You will be able to read everything about this new decorative trend, Street Art, after finishing your reading!
I) When and where was Street Art created?
In this section, we will discuss the origins of Street Art and its appearance in Europe. The first elements will focus on the United States. Then, we will see how and who "gave birth" to Street Art in France.
A) The origins and evolution of Street Art
One often speaks of graffiti to refer to artworks found on city walls or subway tracks. This movement was popularized in the late 1960s and the 1970s. The "tagging" is one of the first forms of graffiti. It is an elaborate typography used to tag the artist's name and address on building walls or subway cars.
Artists received extra credit for tagging difficult places, often at great heights. Taggers competed to be the best. This group of islanders tested their mastery of spray paint and created their own typographic signatures.
This art form was transgressive controversial from the start. In a world largely dominated by global brands, graffiti threatened the power of mercantilism as well as government infrastructure. Gang culture was often associated with street art. Politicians and affluent communities were therefore skeptical of it. It's important to note that the art was used by disenfranchised citizens to express their dissatisfaction with society.
B) Who is the father of street art in France?
Blek le Rat is partly responsible for Banksy, the anonymous street art star in England and worldwide. Yes, the famous Banksy was indeed inspired by Blek le Rat, a French street artist.
Xavier Prou is his real name. He was 69 years old when he created a stencil style and used " the image characteristic " of his art to adopt the rat. Blek, who was born and grew up in the western suburbs of Paris, shared his story with us in an interview about how his street art career started.
"I was in New York in 1972 when I saw the first graffiti in the streets and in the subway. I was immediately impressed."
At the time, he was a student of art and architecture. It was only in 1981 that he "digested" what he had seen. He participated in creating an adventure playground for teenagers as part of his architecture degree. He explains that this installation was created for young people from the suburbs after the war, so they wouldn't play in unsafe places, like bombed-out buildings.
"The kids took paint and brushes from supermarkets and painted the park walls. They didn't know how to paint, but they painted anything. It reminded me of New York. I was already a painter, and I loved art, so I decided to make a name for myself by painting the same thing on the walls of Paris."
His first experiments took place in a vacant lot, where he tried New York-style tagging. It was difficult because I didn't know the technique and it was hard to get spray paint. I used car paint.
Later, he started tagging rats with stencils. This earned him his nickname. He says Paris has always been full of rats. "And at that time, there were a lot in the 14th arrondissement, so I thought it would be fun to paint them everywhere over there."
"Blek le Rat "is his name. He got it from Blek le Roche, a character he liked in a comic book series from the 1950s-1960s.
II) How to define Street Art
Street art is a form of art original, that can only be found on the street. This art is often not recognized as such by many people, and people sometimes associate it with vandalism. The following words are found in the world of street art as we know it: stencil, sticker art and yarn bombing.
The different street artists try to defend their ideas through this art. We can see their ideologies and emotions in their art. Street artists are often committed artists. They choose to "express their art" because it is the best way to reach as many people as possible. Some of the most well-known street artists have chosen to remain anonymous, like Alec Monopoly and Banksy.
III) What are the techniques used in Street Art?
In this last part, we will learn together how to define the different techniques most well-known of street art.
A) Tagging
The "tagging" is simply putting a "tag", or a signature, on a surface. However, these signatures can be quite complex in terms of content and calligraphic aspects. Jean-Michel Basquiat is a famous example of someone who used SAMO tags to sign his works.
B) The Throw-up
One throw up is a tag larger than a regular tag. It is generally painted quickly using only two or three colors.
C) The stencil
The "stencil graffiti", which uses cutouts to quickly create complex shapes, was created by the Parisian graffiti artist Blek le Rat at the beginning of the 1980s. Later, it was copied by the great Banksy!
D) The masterpiece
A "piece (masterpiece), is a more complex tag with a greater number of colors and complexity. These "pieces" can be easily erased by a rival graffiti artist with a simple vomit product.
E) The blockbuster
One blockbuster or roller is a large block-shaped work that is often done with a paint roller. It is used to cover large surfaces in order to prevent others street artists from painting on the same wall.
F) Top-to-bottoms
The graffiti "top-to-bottoms" are works of art that cover an entire subway car. They were popularized by New York subway graffiti artists in the 1970s.
G) Wildstyle
Wildstyle" A more complex form of graffiti, often marked by intersecting letters or connecting points, creating a more complicated "tag" or image that is sometimes hard to decipher.
Bring street art into your home
This new trend in decoration is obvious to you. You can probably see why it's so exciting!
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