Garffiti is seen as an artform by many and is regularly shown in galleries and museums.
Graffiti has been around for thousands of years, but the ancient Greeks were more likely to call what they saw vandalism than art. The graffiti of the past usually consisted of a scribble on the wall of a public space or a message written to one or many individuals. In recent decades, some graffiti has become recognized as an art form and appreciated aesthetically and for the social context that can lie underneath.
Tagging and Bombing
Tagging is usually similar in style to the older graffiti mentioned above. It is generally a tagger's name and the group, or crew, he represents. The letters are often written stylistically but little time is spent on its creation. Bombing is usually done using two to three colors and the letters are much larger and filled in than tagging. Bombs are found on trains and subway cars and take more time and care than a tag, but less than more advanced styles.
Heaven and Blockbuster
Heaven is a stylistic series of lettering done in a high or hard-to-reach location. These are dangerous due to their location and are respected in the graffiti community. The stylistic qualities vary widely by artist and time spent on each piece. Blockbusters are large block letters taking up an expansive amount of space. Their purpose is one of exposure instead of aesthetics.
Stencils
Stencils are used regularly in graffiti to expedite the time spent working on each piece. Many graffiti artists are known and admired for their stenciling work. The popular artists Bansky's and Giant's stencils have become as recognizable as brand names in some cultures and parts of the country. The "Obey" brand of clothing stemmed from Giant's stencils.
Wildstyle
Wildstyle is extremely time consuming lettering that overlaps and uses many colors, at times dozens. The piece commonly uses 3-D elements and is hard to read by those unaccustomed to reading such pieces. They are aesthetic in nature and demonstrate advanced skill on the part of the graffiti artist.
Freeform Pieces
Letters and names are not the only art seen and used by graffiti artists. They regularly use their medium of spraypaint to create murals and objects. Pieces are time consuming and aesthetically motivated. Often the artist is a skilled painter and many freeform pieces have found their way into galleries, either created on canvas or paper for display purposes.
