Graffiti

The first pieces of Graffiti are believed to come from the caves at Lascaux, France. These ancient drawings are estimated to be 17,300 years old. Graffiti was also present during Ancient Rome, with caricatures of politicians found in Pompeii.

During WWII a small cartoon would often appear with "Kilroy was here" written next to it. The origins of Kilroy are debated, some people think it comes from Britain while others think it was American. Either way, it was a common appearance in graffiti round that time.

Graffiti often has the power to spread messages from an unheard crowd. During the 1968 Paris Riots, posters were spread and post all around the city, giving and garnering support for the working class. Similarly 1970's New York Graffiti highlighted Hiphop culture, making there presence known and making sure they were not ignored. Jon Naar produced many photographs of the artists producing the graffiti during the early 70's.

Jean-Michel Basquiat produced a lot of graffiti using the character SAMO. SAMO started as a cartoon character created among friends, later developing into a famous graffiti character, using a copyright sign ironically and appearing with sarcastic or poetic phrases. Basquiat eventually stopped the craze by painting 'SAMO© IS DEAD' in New York.

Graffiti often appears on controversial architecture such as the Berlin Wall or the Palestine wall. People use these  as a means of spreading a message and showing there dislike. Other artists use the Palestine wall as they are shown a lot in the public eye.

Graffiti has become quite popular with its distinct style and culture. Gaffiti by Banksy has appeared in art galleries and auctioned off for high prices. Commercial companies have taken advantage of this popularity by advertising there products with graffiti, such as the cocacola advertisements and the Corsa advertisments. This could be seen devaluing The art form as graffiti was used to spread messages, not to sell products.

Graffiti has appeared a lot in film, There is a trend of producing stop motion animation using graffiti on walls, one of the most famous one being MUTO by BLU. Graffiti has also been prminiant in video games; Jet Set Radio is all about Gaffiti, while Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has you tagging wall across the city. A recent game called Sideway: New York, in which you play as a painted character on the walls.