Synopses & Reviews
Ever since anonymous spray-can art began appearing on city walls in New York and Philadelphia in the late 1960s, graffiti has been a ubiquitous presence in the urban landscape, its artists largely unsung heroes. As hip-hop culture spread from America, graffiti became a worldwide phenomenon, emerging in the 1980s as the symbolic artistic language of young people everywhere and one of the most potent influences on youth-oriented marketing and design. With more than 2,000 illustrations by over 150 artists from all over the world and interviews with many of them, this visually arresting book is the most comprehensive survey of graffiti art ever published.
Today's young graffiti artists incorporate a variety of mediums-including stickers, stencils, oils, acrylics, and oil-based chalk-as well as an ever-expanding range of social commentary. This evolution in style and subject matter has earned graffiti the respect of the art world and guaranteed its long-lasting influence on art, graphic design, and style around the world. Great fun for graffiti and pop-culture buffs, the book is also an essential reference work for anyone involved in the visual arts today.
Synopsis
- For 35 years, graffiti art has remained a part of the urban landscape, its artists largely unsung heroes (or, from a different point of view, public nuisances), but this book gives it a history and a pantheon, revealing an international youth movement that bridges race, gender (many prominent women artists are included), and national differences.
- A thorough and comprehensive treatment of graffiti as an art form, the book contains a historical account of the medium, profiles of and interviews with prominent artists, analysis of different styles and trends that have developed throughout the world, as well as a guide to graffiti-related books, magazines, and websites.
- The book will appeal not only to graffiti buffs, but also to graphic artists, fashion, and marketing professionals, and pop-culture aficionados everywhere. It is also an essential reference work for artists and art-world professionals.
- For an introduction and overview of the contemporary world of graffiti, including arguments, criticism, and lists of artists and sources, go to www.graffiti.com (unaffiliated with this book)
Synopsis
Once considered part of the counterculture movement, tattooing is now undoubtedly a mainstream practice. Although the history of tattooing is rooted in ancient customs and beliefs, it is a constantly evolving art form, as skilled practitioners continually reinterpret traditional motifs and experiment with new ones. With more than 1,000 illustrations from 125 of the most important artists working today, this book is the most comprehensive survey of tattooing ever published. Collected here are designs from around the globe, spanning a broad range of styles, including Japanese and East Asian iconography, classic Americana, and photorealism, among others. Featuring the work of tattoo legends alongside pieces by pioneering artists pushing the limits of the medium, this visually arresting survey is the essential reference work for anyone interested in this exploding art form.
About the Author
Nicholas Ganz (also known as Keinom, his pen name) is a graffiti artist who has traveled around the world to gather material for this book. He lives in Essen, Germany. Tristan Manco is a graphic artist and director of Bristol-based Tijuana Design. He is the author of Stencil Graffiti and Street Logos.