Focus on an movement: Street Art
Today, Street Art has become a very familiar feature of our urban environments. A little mosaic by Invader may take you by surprise when you're on holiday at the other end of the world, or you may come across a Banksy or M. Chat original on a street corner on your way to work…
For a long time, urban art was only considered a passing trend and wasn't thought of as an artistic movement in its own right. Now, however, Street Art galleries are cropping up all the time and more collectors are taking an interest in this underground art.
The key early of graffiti artists are Cornbread and Cool Earl who, in the 1960s, left their signatures on the walls of Philadelphia. The media was quick to cover this new movement, and others began imitating their style. At the same time, in New York, just as the subway was beginning to take over the city as urbanisation was in full swing, working class neighbourhoods appropriated the trend and started competing with Philadelphia by spray-painting murals on trains.
Graffiti became linked to the Hip Hop phenomenon, but also other urban elements: walls, subway trains, posts, cars, etc. Highly hierarchical crews began to form, as well as new lettering styles such as bubble letters and the dub style. An entire graffiti culture emerged, with its own vocabulary: graffiti artists had blazes, i.e. nicknames to which they added their street number.
Very soon, graffiti overran the city and became a problem for transport companies and New York city itself. This war against graffiti slowed the artists down but didn't prevent the trend from crossing oceans and eventually spreading worldwide.
The trend reached Europe, and particularly Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, which gradually began following purely American graffiti rules. Specific styles appeared, especially in London and Bristol, thanks to Banksy, for example.
Over time, techniques evolved and now there are not only lettering styles but also posters, stencils, and stickers. Urban art is becoming less and less aggressive, although some of the messages still remain political. Nowadays, it is less seen as an act of vandalism and is asserting itself as an artistic movement in its own right.
As a matter of fact, Street Art is not only increasingly recognised by art galleries and museums, but it also sparks the interest of many collectors! Many street artists are represented on Artsper. You'll find both street art paintings as well as prints, drawings and even sculptures, including works by the greatest artists: JonOne, Invader, and M. Chat, amongst others.
For a long time, urban art was only considered a passing trend and wasn't thought of as an artistic movement in its own right. Now, however, Street Art galleries are cropping up all the time and more collectors are taking an interest in this underground art.
The key early of graffiti artists are Cornbread and Cool Earl who, in the 1960s, left their signatures on the walls of Philadelphia. The media was quick to cover this new movement, and others began imitating their style. At the same time, in New York, just as the subway was beginning to take over the city as urbanisation was in full swing, working class neighbourhoods appropriated the trend and started competing with Philadelphia by spray-painting murals on trains.
Graffiti became linked to the Hip Hop phenomenon, but also other urban elements: walls, subway trains, posts, cars, etc. Highly hierarchical crews began to form, as well as new lettering styles such as bubble letters and the dub style. An entire graffiti culture emerged, with its own vocabulary: graffiti artists had blazes, i.e. nicknames to which they added their street number.
Very soon, graffiti overran the city and became a problem for transport companies and New York city itself. This war against graffiti slowed the artists down but didn't prevent the trend from crossing oceans and eventually spreading worldwide.
The trend reached Europe, and particularly Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, which gradually began following purely American graffiti rules. Specific styles appeared, especially in London and Bristol, thanks to Banksy, for example.
Over time, techniques evolved and now there are not only lettering styles but also posters, stencils, and stickers. Urban art is becoming less and less aggressive, although some of the messages still remain political. Nowadays, it is less seen as an act of vandalism and is asserting itself as an artistic movement in its own right.
As a matter of fact, Street Art is not only increasingly recognised by art galleries and museums, but it also sparks the interest of many collectors! Many street artists are represented on Artsper. You'll find both street art paintings as well as prints, drawings and even sculptures, including works by the greatest artists: JonOne, Invader, and M. Chat, amongst others.