One of the unusual things that caught my attention as soon as I arrived in Paris was SEEING SO MANY GRAFFITI ALL AROUND!
I was not expecting to see it in all walls, whether at the highway, trains, subway boxcars, train stations, subways, tunnels, bridges and even in the rooftops of dilapidated buildings.
I guess, in my mind I was associating Paris with the Masters in the field of Arts. Until someone told me that Graffiti is a wild expression of Art itself!
Here is what I gathered about Graffiti from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti
Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as
a mass noun. Also known asGraff) is
writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly
on a wall or other surface in a public place.[1] Stickers
and other adhesives are not considered graffiti.[citation needed] Graffiti ranges from simple written
words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with
examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.[2]
In modern times, paint, particularly spray paint, and marker pens have become the most commonly used
graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the
property owner's consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.
Graffiti also may express underlying social
and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon
spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture,
graffiti has evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements.[3] Unrelated
to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or
to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.
Controversies that surround graffiti
continue to create disagreement amongst city officials, law enforcement, and
writers who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations. There are
many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly developing art
form whose value is highly contested and reviled by many authorities while also
subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.
I'd like to share some of the graffiti that I randomly took photos of...
Just at the walls along the highway from the Airport to Paris...
At buildings, especially old buildings even at the topmost part of the place... you cannot imagine why they would climb up the highest point just to express themselves!
At bridges...
At the train stations...
Just as soon as we went out of the train station...
In fact, even in the deepest and darkest part of the subways, which I cannot take pictures of, there are murals of them. One would wonder about their safety while painting the walls.
I would also like to share the photos of the graffiti as viewed from the train window when we left from Gare De Lyon railway station in Paris on the way to Zurich, Switzerland...
These are some of the insights I learned about graffiti...
* Graffiti is the plural of graffito!
* There are many street artists and some of them have gained popularity as graffiti artists.
* I always thought this was considered as Vandalism, but in other cultures, they are considered as expressions of Art.
* The authorities also have controversies on how to deal with graffiti...
* Some graffiti just appear as random writings but there are other graffiti which have leveled up as artworks!
Soon, I will also share other graffiti in other places in the world!!!
