Ancient Egypt, Greece and Roman Empire all records the history of wall art. Inscription of figurine and typo were basic forms of street art. Most people never had luxury and comfort to create one those canvas paintings. It would have coasted their life for those dwelling in downtown. But art shares freedom of life with all, it inspires those who want to create. For these people, city walls became a canvas of artistic expression.
Vivid splash of colors on walls is not just a display of playful art. Those colors creates a vivid expressions of contemporary society, that has an history. The first known example of “modern style” graffiti survives in turkey, Local guides say it is an advertisement for prostitution. Located near a mosaic and stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint, a number, and a carved image of a woman’s head
Graffiti has always been a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism. Citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. This initially became a problem for government, that theses hoods were openly marking their territories. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban ‘problem’ for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other regions around the world. On the other hand, graffiti artists, particularly marginalized artists with no access to mainstream media, resist this viewpoint to display their art or political views in public locations. Now Graffiti art is practiced by many commercial artists too. Also, some exceptions has been seen in many countries where authorities have taken a step to make graffiti a more oriented art form.
Official directorate in Delhi also came up with initiatives in past to provide these artists with recognition and space to display their work. Artists from country and from all over the world were invited and Streets of Lodhi garden were color-washed. Now has become attraction point in the city. Let’s see how far can they control the street artists who doesn’t even reveal themselves or take credit for their creation because all the want is to splash and spray the city with paint.
mimesis 