The History of Urban Art
The History of Urban Art
In the 1980's an art movement began in cities all across the world. It was born from the people living in cities who were trying to express themselves. Urban art is made up of many forms of art created in city areas depicting city life or urban issues. Urban art allows artists a way to make an emotional connection with their city and its inhabitants. The idea of Urban Art is spreading across cities of the United States. If it is not already in your city, it will be soon.
Graffiti is the rawest form of urban art and has been around as long as cities have existed. The word graffiti comes from a word In Italian meaning "to scratch”. Some of the earliest graffiti drawings were tribal inscriptions on stones. In ancient Roman ruins graffiti can be seen depicting everything from everyday life to gladiator wars.
Urban art has been given a negative reputation because it often involves vandalism of city property. Because of its reputation, urban art has been needlessly destroyed. Art preservation organizations work to preserve the work of artist in cities that would have otherwise been destroyed. In the recent years urban art has become popular. Instead of worrying if their art work will survive, artist are commissioned to do community morals and to decorate blank building walls.
Urban art has been around since the first cities have been built. Artist have been describing what it is to live in their city from the Romans to the twenty first century with "scratch art". Recently urban art has become popular and is no longer being viewed as vandalism of city property. If urban art is not already in your city, it will be there soon.
Sierra Bruggink lives in Ogden Valley Utah, and currently attends Weber High School as a Junior. She loves hiking, biking, photography, writing, reading, baking, and acting. She is addicted to tea, and will often have more than three cups a day. She loves traveling and can't think of anything better than meeting new people and eating new food in a strange place.