The word GRAFFITI simply means--words or drawings scratched or scribbled on a wall. The word comes from the Greek term "graphein" (to write) and the word "grafitti" itself is plural of the Italian word "graffito." Art in the form of graffiti (graffiti by style and considered so only if it appears on public or private property without permission) originated in the late 1960s, but graffiti in term of public and unsolicited markings has been around for ever. Some say it represents man's desire and need for communication, and the history of this type of communication dates back to one of the first communicative acts--drawing. There are many reasons as to why people do graffiti. For some it is to get back at a world that has long oppressed them and to rebel against the society they consider so corrupt and unjust. For others it is purely for the pleasure of creation, for the art form. Coda comments, "To pour your soul onto a wall and be able to step back and see your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your weaknesses, really give you a deeper understanding of yourself and your own mental state."[36] And for others, it is almost a game. "Getting Up" is the name of the game and the object is to see how much you can paint and what you can get away with. Phase2 says, "For me this was a sport that belonged to me/us and rules and regulations were all regulated by whoever had the knack to create an innovate within it."[37] There are hundreds of reasons why individuals decide to do graffiti but to do it for revenge, for art or even for "sport" are very common and general reasons. But there will always be people who look down on graffiti in any and every form it comes in. "I think graffiti is vandalism...They think they're artists and have some right like free speech to express their individualism or artistry...graffiti might look good to them and their buddies, but the majority of people don't want to look at that crap every day," said Gary Doyle, Public Works Officer, Nuisance Crime Abatement Unit.[40] OK examples-of-graffiti-art/ Modern graffiti is true street art, appearing overnight on walls, in subways and on buildings. Graffitti artists often paint their murals illegally, working under cover of darkness with a team of sentries to watch for law enforcers or pedestrians. Because of the controversial material contained in many murals, graffiti is now considered to be a form of resistance art, in rebellion against common public beliefs and government laws. This example is of a statement made by Barack Obama, as expressed by the graffiti artist.watch Obama Graffiti Art And Its Origins

It was in the late 1960s when "Julio 204" began writing his "tag" all around the city of New York. Soon following Julio came a Greek youth from Manhattan named Demitrius who tagged his own "Taki183" all over the city as well. Taki also focused on writing on the subway in New York. Even though what Julio 204 and Taki 183 did in New York eventually developed into what was called by some "New York Style" graffiti, these New York writers only popularized it. [2] It is said that tagging first started in Philadelphia with the emergence of the legendary "Cornbread" and "Top Cat." Soon after the Philly development and the start of New York Graffiti, Top Cat's style started showing up in NYC and was called "Broadway Style" because of the long skinny lettering. In the 1970s and early to mid `80s, the subway was always the ideal and most popular "canvas" on which graffiti was painted. In the late 80s in New York, graffiti was forced to go through a transformation. Officially, subway graffiti died on May 12, 1989 although graffiti can still be found on subways, the car is usually taken off the line before anyone can see it and buffed clean. Although graffiti may be seen in an unconventional way and is unsolicited, that doesn't necessarily disqualify it as art. It's simply unconventional and unsolicited art. Feb. 8, 2009 A Graffiti Artist Goes Mainstream After Gaining Fame From Anonymous Art, The Man Known As KAWS Has Now Made A Name For Himself shtml