Characters are an integral part of modern graffiti culture.[1] Characters are images of "creatures or personas” that feature in graffiti works.[2] They may be taken from popular culture (especially cartoons and comic books) or created by the writer.[3] Chararacters are found in almost all forms of graffiti, including ancient graffiti and the earliest forms of modern graffiti.[4]
Usage
edit- some character are connected with the artists word that they write, such as someone who writes CROAK developing a frog character[5]
- Characters can help identify an artist who writes different words[1]
- using characters from popular culture that is still in copyright, and while artists and writers are not using them commercially, there is a legal grey area[1]
- some artists start off with characters[6]
- characters can come to be seen as icons of their local area[6]
- some artists make monikers out of characters from popular culture, but draw them in a unique style which allows it to serve as a signature[7]
- charactera can be used to tell stories[3]
Form
edit- While characters are found in all forms of graffiti, they are most common in stickers and pieces.[8]
- some graffiti characters evolve from drawing faces inside letters, which then develop into more complex characters[5]
- there is often a connection between a writers handstyle and the way they draw their character(s)[5]
- characters may be a simple as a logo, and are sometimes done with stencils.[8]
- characters are often stylised, easily replica table by the artist, and easily recognisable by viewers[9]
- characters may be used as substitutes for individual letters[8]
History
editEarly monikers on freight trains usually included characters, such as the cowboy character of Bozo Texino.[4] The character Mr. Chad, as seen in the Kilroy was here meme, was drawn by multiple artists and originally designed by British cartoonist George Chatterton.[1]
Cartoon and comic book characters were drawn in the earliest modern graffiti pieces on New York Subway.[4][8] Characters by Vaughn Bodē, such a cheech wizard, were especially common.[10] Bodēs characters are still popular with graffiti artists today considered a significant part of graffiti culture and history.[11][4]
Original characters in early modern graffiti were usually "urban characters" usually b-boys drawn to show the connection between graffiti and hip hop culture.[3] They were often drawn break dancing.[10]
In 1984, Jace was one of the earliest writers to completely replace their tag with a character, called Gouzou.[8] In the 1990s, Barcelonian writer PES replaces their tag with a fish logo,[8] and artist INVADER used tiled to create pixel art stating in 1999.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d McDonald, Fiona (2013-06-13). The Popular History of Graffiti: From the Ancient World to the Present. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-62636-291-8.
- ^ Ross, Jeffrey Ian (2016-03-02). Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-64585-6.
- ^ a b c Javier (2021-07-22). "Why are the graffiti characters important for some street art artists?". Street art tours in Madrid by Cooltourspain. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
- ^ a b c d Gastman, Roger; Rowland, Darin; Sattler, Ian (2006-06-01). Freight Train Graffiti. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-9249-8.
- ^ a b c Iqbal, Muhammad; Kasman, Selvi; Fajri, Emzia (2023-08-12). "Graffiti Culture As Playing Media for Youth In Batang Anai Subdistrict". Journal of Scientific Research, Education, and Technology (JSRET). 2 (3): 1284–1295. doi:10.58526/jsret.v2i3.225. ISSN 2962-6110.
- ^ a b "H-Foot: The elusive Newcastle street artist providing an alternative to 'the tough-guy graf scene' - ABC News". amp.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
- ^ DeVito, Lee. "The guy who spray-paints 'Beavis and Butt-Head' characters all over Detroit". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g Waclawek, Anna (2008). From graffiti to the street art movement : negotiating art worlds, urban spaces, and visual culture, c. 1970-2008 (phd thesis). Concordia University.
- ^ Schacter, Rafael (2013-09-01). The World Atlas of Street Art and Graffiti. NewSouth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-74224-653-6.
- ^ a b Snyder, Gregory J. (2011-04-15). Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York’s Urban Underground. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-4046-0.
- ^ Harmanci, Reyhan (2010-07-02). "In Finishing Comics, a Son Completes a Legacy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-04.