From Cavemen to Vandals - Graffiti!

Aug 22, 2022

2 min read

Updated: Aug 23

When I was a kid, graffiti mainly consisted of penises, swear words and public statements of an unknown individual's sexual persuasion or availability (I never did call Julie for free sex, and I never did find out who London was, if he was gay or why a public statement on the matter was required!)

But these were considered vandalism. Graffiti was something seen on New York subway cars in American movies. Probably in the Eighties, and probably connected to the drifting over the Atlantic of Hip Hop's influence, scrawls on public buildings started to become more intricate, colourful and dare I say, impressive.

A photograph captures a vintage New York City subway car covered in vibrant, stylized graffiti. Large, dynamic block lettering in shades of mint green, pale yellow, and white stretches across the lower half of the train car, featuring sharp angles and decorative white glints. To the right of the letters, a cartoon character is painted near the train doors. The character features a long, green snout, closed eyelids, a white cap, and a gold chain around its neck. The train car itself has aged, warm tones, and its rectangular windows are visible above the graffiti artwork.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seen_bode_ny.jpg

In my photographer guise, I've always loved graffiti. Any graffiti. From the mundane to the ornate. From simple statements to colourful murals. There's some talented vandals out there and from the places I've seen some daubed, some pretty big balls.

Now I wouldn't claim most of the stuff scrawled or painted on walls is as socially or culturally important or worthy as the cave art of places such as Chauvet, Altamira or Kakadu (although I'm sure a more educated person than myself maybe could argue the case). But I'd say there is a connection or relationship to some degree.

A close-up photograph displays ancient stenciled rock art inside the Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands). Two pale, handprint silhouettes with outstretched fingers stand out clearly against a textured, reddish-brown and ochre stone wall. The rock surface is rough, granular, and heavily weathered with natural dark speckles and fissures.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pinturas_rupestres_-_Manos.jpg

A Medieval carving in the walls of Knaresborough Castle

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knaresborough_Castle-Medieval_Graffiti_of_an_armed_man_on_stonework_within_the_castle_ruins.jpg

In some fashion, at it's core, one can look at graffiti or cave art as one human's expression of self - I'm here, I exist, this is what I say, I want others to see it. And I'm not saying scrawling Julie's phone number on a library door has some deep Nietzsche-esque philosophical connotation. But someone put it there. And for a reason. And they were heard.

Maybe we're still cavemen, and maybe it was always graffiti...

So here's a little gallery of some scrawlings i've taken