by Steve Grody

Contemporary graffiti pieces of the full-blown, Wild Style variety straddle the aesthetic fence between the vernacular and fine art, with the best work deserving the analysis of an educated eye, the kind usually reserved for galleries and museums. Graphically, graffiti “writers” work with letter-based forms and are concerned with personally derived font styles and execution; however, functional readability often takes a back seat to artistic expression, placing it firmly in the fine art camp.

Snobbery puts blinders on even the most erudite art appreciators who fail to recognize the merits of work from a can of spray paint, no matter how technically sophisticated it might be. Aesthetic sensitivity is in the eye of the beholder. Having an eye for one area of visual art does not necessarily translate broadly, so that, for example, even those familiar with modernist, abstract artists such as Robert Motherwell or Franz Kline, often regard graffiti pieces with condescension, begrudgingly acknowledging the craft as contemporary urban folk practice at best.

A central goal in graffiti is the development of a distinctive visual style, same as it is for most any artist. The development of this individual style is the single determining factor in how a writer is judged among his peers, the ultimate audience to impress. Various writers may be known for other attributes such as can control or color palette, but without an inspired creative letter style, a writer will never be considered in the top tier. Just look up at the billboards and buildings around you to appreciate this other kind of high art.

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STEVE GRODY
Author and Choreographer

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