History of Graffiti in Sag Harbor, NY; Cleaning & Removing Tagging & Vandalism

Graffiti is found nearly everywhere, in small towns and large cities alike.  Often immediately assumed to be gang related, when people spot graffiti markings, they assume it’s a turf marking. Where as others may spot some graffiti and appreciate the artistry of it.  There is an interesting history as to where graffiti all began, though modernly speaking, most find it to be a nuisance.  Woodedge Powerwashing would like to share a brief history of graffiti with you today.

First & Famous Graffiti Artists

The first graffiti artists date back to Ancient Rome, and viewed very differently than today, where they would inscribe artistic writing on the wall.  But skipping centuries ahead to back in the late 1960 in New York, modern graffiti art, as we know it, got its origins on subway trains as the first canvas.  The birth of the controversial trend started by Taki 183, a messenger that lived on 183rd Street in Washington Heights.  Taki 183, armed with a marker in hand, would travel throughout the whole city as a messenger and would mark his name everywhere he passed in his travels.  Eventually, the locals became intrigued with the lure behind the bizarre “tagging” as the name continued to pop up in so many places.  By 1971, The New York Times took matters into their own hands and performed an investigation that would quickly be solved as they tracked down and interviewed Taki.  To emulate their new role model, kids began to follow suit as Taki was getting so much positive attention from his graffiti. The popular trend grew quickly and too soon the young adolescents would have intricate competitions for the most name tagged all over the city. Instead of markers, spray paint become the new choice of weapon, as the competition evolved, and the use of markers became obsolete. The once simplistic print of their names would begin to have an artistic flare and style using exciting and bright colors and incorporating brilliant special effects, as the artists continued to improve on the simple trend. In attempt to out do one another, the size grew, and they continued to get more and more elaborate.

Tagging Graffiti

The battlefront would soon become an epic war as graffiti artists wanted their 10 minutes of fame.  Carrying notebooks and congregating in various places to develop new ideas as well as critique and give feedback to each one another, artists would strategize their art pieces.  While others would be on lookout patrol for law enforcement, some graffiti artists would band together and work in crews so that they could alternate tagging a wall. Eventually, graffiti become revolutionized and depicted political and social view points and influences.  Some would go on to paint far more in their graffiti where others simply stuck to the origins and still tag walls using their code name.  Several museums and art galleries around the world have collected some of intricate graffiti art.

Graffiti Vandalism

Now a new battle in the graffiti world has ensued from those who argue it is vandalism and others claim it is nothing more than expression of art. The federal government has determined it was against the law, though both sides presents valid points. Depending on the surrounding factors, should a graffiti artist get caught in action, the artists can face fines, community service, probation, and other such consequences.

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Whether you are a fan or despise seeing the vandalism on your home or business, Woodedge Powerwashing is readily available to power wash and remove unwanted graffiti on your property.  Call as soon as possible to maximize the results.