graffiti

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graffiti

art

Also known as: aerosol art, graffito

Written by Scott H. Decker, Glen D. Curry•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jan 17, 2025 • Article History

Key People:: Banksy; Jean-Michel Basquiat; Keith Haring

Related Topics:: graphic art; tagging; malicious damage

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News •

Graffiti left on walls of Assad's prisons expresses fears, loves of tormented Syrians • Jan. 17, 2025, 4:33 AM ET (CBC)

'You need to be happy': graffiti encourages Cuban self-reflection • Jan. 2, 2025, 8:31 PM ET (The Star)

graffiti, form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Although the common image of graffiti is a stylistic symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang, some graffiti is not gang-related. Graffiti can be understood as antisocial behaviour performed in order to gain attention or as a form of thrill seeking, but it also can be understood as an expressive art form. Derived from the Italian word graffio (“scratch”), graffiti (“incised inscriptions,” plural but often used as singular) has a long history. For example, ...(100 of 542 words)

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