Cruise along Krog Street Tunnel, Atlanta Beltline, East
Atlanta, Auburn Avenue…the exit sign on I-20 and you will see the remnants of
the Atlanta’s notorious artists.
The bold letterings, intricate details and bright colors are eye catching
and bring character to the city. I
will admit, I have never seen one of these “artists” in action, but the
consensus is the mortals rarely catch them. They create the artwork at night with little or no light, no
measuring tools, no stencils no sketching. They just make the designs, get this---free
hand. They are said to be armed with just a backpack of spray cans of paint and they
just go for it.
I have always
linked graffiti artists to ninjas not only because I have never seen them work,
but I fail I understand how they can get to some of the most awkward areas and
make the art seem like it was made to be in that very spot. I see them as swift, precise and
silent, that’s like a ninja, right?
Well, in some areas in the city of Atlanta
the lines of artistic graffiti and destructing property are blurred. This package from 11Alive talks to some
residents, law enforcement and graffiti artists on their feelings on the
subject.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/293165/1/Yeah-but-is-it-art-Graffiti-in-Atlanta
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| Photo from: http://ryanmurph.tumblr.com/ |
I have down the majority of my photo shoots in this tunnel in the Edgewood area. I love this area as a whole because it makes Atlanta seem like such a modern city. Often times I go to the restaurant/bar in front of this tunnel just to experience such a artistic/eclectic group. I feel the need to be around artistic people and this is the perfect location to achieve my happiness. Some people don't see graffiti as art but I am glad that we share the love for this art form.
ReplyDeleteWalter, I would love to see some your photos and see the backdrops with graffiti. If you ever have a chance, hang our at Cabbagetown, that area seems to embrace artistic freedom.
DeleteMany fail to realize but it was graffiti was one of the first elements of Hip-Hop. After graffiti then came the music, dancing, and the dress code. Jean-Michel Basquiat,is my favorite graffiti artist. He was discovered by Andy Warhole and the 2 artist became the best of friends. Jean-Michel Basquiat is also the artist I am going to conduct my speach on Jean-Michel Basquiat. He started as a graffiti artist, Basquiat is a graffiti artist I recommand other artist to research if they do not know of him.
ReplyDeleteYep, Torrence, graffiti and the hip-hop culture have a long history. Think back to "Rapper's Delight" and the Sugarhill Gang. I am excited to hear your report on Basquiat.
DeleteNinjas is a good name for graffiti artists. After seeing 2010s documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" , I developed a new appreciation for the world of graffiti artists, all giving any urban facade a flair of life. Whether it be a citizen of ancient Rome scratching in a joke or a saying into some plaster, or an artist in modern day Atlanta, graffiti art has always existed and had it's place, much to the chagrin of some people.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting article from the National Geographic talking further on graffiti of ancient Rome, a-speaking of Roman graffiti artists.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130129-roman-italy-graffiti-colosseum-archeology-photo/
Amy, it is my mission to catch a "ninja" in action LOL! Thanks so much for posting the link to the National Geographic article. I did not realize this art form can be traced back to Ancient Rome.
DeleteThis is a subject extremely close to my heart as graffiti was my first introduction into the world of art and it laid the foundation for my current professional career. I grew up here in Atlanta and was involved in the graffiti scene. While I only did characters and text tags, I knew others who did murals. What excited me about the art, which many people have already commented on, is the ad-libbing and improvisation that took place just to ensure the presentation of the piece was solid, whether a simple tag or a full scene. You had to compensate for different textures (brick, concrete, smooth aluminum, wood, etc), eye-line visibility (i.e. there's no glory in tagging where it goes unseen) and of course, time constraints (windows of opportunity changed in the blink of an eye). While everyone didn't appreciate the creative expression (giving life to the term "urban vandals"), there are much worse things we could have been doing at the time. And because of graffiti, we actually didn't.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see some of your artwork, Reginald. The ability to use any surface as a canvas is remarkable. Art should not be taken out of our schools.
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