History & Apparel
G2TZ is an apparel and merchandise company that sells uniquely designed graffiti art with a play on words and designs. Dreamt up by a seasoned rebelling fine artist/illustrator, this company started as a joke and solely exists for fun while the owner/artist explores a different area of art, graffiti. The art on this site illustrates the History of Graffiti, and the artists that have evolved the art form.
Have you ever wondered where the word “graffiti” comes from?
It’s derived from the Italian word “graffiato” which means; scratched. Art historians think its because the first drawings appeared in caves thousands of years ago; scribbles and marks left behind by ancestors/artists since the beginning of time, depicting the history of life that once was.
Tools of survival evolved and soon sculpted the world in which we live today, allowing a playground of discovery and expression.
Who invented the spray can?
Historic events of war also led to the inventions of new tools. Aerosol canisters filled with insecticide and propellants used to protect U.S. servicemen from insects carrying diseases such as malaria during World War II. Sometime in nineteen forty nine, after the war, Ed Seymour, the proprietor of a paint company, was in search of an easy way to demonstrate his aluminum coating for painting radiators. His wife suggested a makeshift spray gun, like those used for deodorizers. And so, he mixed paint and aerosol in a can with a spray head making the first spray can. It became the main tool of the trade in graffiti, not always respected as an art form.
Is Graffiti Art or vandalism?
For the majority of its existence graffiti has been considered vandalism and a criminal felony, as people deface property with “tags” of paint. Most of the art has been sprayed on subway trains, billboards, walls, or places with minimal traffic at night to allow optimal time from the authorities to finish a piece. Since the beginning, graffiti was mostly associated with gangs, who used it for a variety of purposes, such as: identifying or claiming territory, memorializing dead gang members in an informal “obituary.” They would also boast about crimes committed, and challenge rival gangs as a prelude to violent confrontations. Not all graffiti is gang related tho, it can be viewed as a form of visual communication, done through the proper channels, ie competitions and community mural projects, street art can be a way to beautify a community and bring it together.
Who were the artists that led Street Art?
Graffiti has come a long way in s short time from its origins. The OG writer of modern graffiti is widely considered CORNBREAD. Originating in Philly during the late nineteen sixties, CORNBREAD and COOL EARL started ”tagging” Philadelphia by writing their nicknames on walls all across the city to catch the attention of girls, but attracted the media instead.
What is the History of Graffiti?
- Since the beginning of man, our ancestors have left their marks on the walls of caves.
- Ancient Greeks and Romans wrote their names and protest poems on buildings.
- Early modernist graffiti can be dated back to boxcars in the early 1920s yet the graffiti movement seen in today’s contemporary world really originated through the minds of political activists and gang members of the 1960s.
- Nineteen forty’s: “ Kilroy was here” became a symbol of the US Super-GI during WW11 and the Korean War, it showed up everywhere worldwide
- Nineteen forty-nine (1949) Ed Seymour and wife create the first spray can
- Nineteen sixty-six (1966) CORNBREAD and COOL EARL catch the attention of the media
- Nineteen sixty-seven (1967) The street art plague spread to New York City and numbers started to appear with names such as JULIO204, CAY161, and TAKI 183. TOP CAT126 moved from Philly to inspire locals.
With the new decade of the seventies, the history of graffiti boomed! Both as an art moment and what stood against it.
- Nineteen seventy-one (1971) Tags started appearing on subway trains, style in writing began developing and LEE 163 started joining his letters together.
- Nineteen seventy-two (1972) Graffiti became a political issue and the “Anti-Graffiti Bill’ made it illegal to carry aresol cans into public facilities. Many citizens lined up against the art that is widely regarded as vandalism to help clean up the cities. Meanwhile, writers started outlining their names and adding dots, clouds, stars, and other accents that continue to evolve with time. Nozzles from other products were used interchangeably. Hugo Martinez, a sociology graduate, started the United Graffiti Artists, a collective that displayed graffiti in galleries for the first time.
- Nineteen seventy-three (1973) PHASE2, considered the greatest writer of all time, creates bubble letters in.
- Nineteen seventy-four (1974) BLADE, among others, started painting “master pieces’ across entire train carriages known as a WHOLE. Writers eventually focus on more than just their names, and you start to see portraits, characters, background scenery, sociopolitical messages, abstract graffiti and more. The language describing graffiti grew as the art form itself, with terms such as PIECE, TOY, KING, QUEEN, TAG, THROW UP & HEAVEN.
- Nineteen seventy-five (1975) Graffiti spreads to Boston, Chicago, and New Jersey. WILDSTYLE and BLOCKBUSTER are used to define street art with more complex forms. The Transit Police Graffiti Squad is constituted, this same year, and all subway trains are cleaned, only to be painted on again almost immediately.
- Nineteen seventy-nine (1979) LEE and FAB5FREDDIE have a prestigious exhibit in Rome.
- Nineteen eighties (1980) Graffiti became associated with hip hop. NYPD formed the vandal squad, its mission was to protect the subway system from hardcore criminal acts of destruction like kicking out windows and throwing seats out of train cars. It was only with the Clean Car program of 1984 that graffiti became the primary focus of this specialized Unit. On a mission to catch those who gained fame under tag names, the Vandal Squad had to identify and locate these individuals cloaked in anonymity (and often so transient they were referred as “ghosts”)
- Nineteen eighty-one. (1981) Graffiti goes worldwide, France, England, Australia.
- Nineteen eighty-two (1982) Broken window theory of criminal justice states that seemingly minor instances of social and physical disorder in urban spaces can contribute to an atmosphere of lawlessness that encourages more serious crimes.
- Nineteen eighty-four (1984) Clean Car Program. Subway Art the Graffiti Bible published writers.
- Nineteen eighty-seven (1987) Hip Hop and Graffiti is all over Western Europe and appearing in South American cities. The book, “Spray Can Art” documents the worldwide phenomenon.
- Nineteen eighty-nine (1989) Graffiti is treated as a felony. Freight trains become a popular target.
- Nineteen ninety (1990) decline of the USSR, Eastern Europe joins the fun.
- Nineteen ninety-two (1992) European writers travel across the continent Graffiti inter rail movement is born.
- Nineteen ninety-four (1994) Spanish writers MOOKIE/ KAPI make specifically for graffiti called Montana. Apartheid ends in South Africa, Hip hop along with Graffiti flourish.
- Nineteen ninety-seven (1997-2009) European Graffiti is at an all time high. Subway systems get painted from locals and tourists as far as Australia
- Nineteen ninety-eight (1998) internet is fast becoming normal life and writers share photographs and contact changes
- Nineteen ninety-nine (1999) Graffiti artist start getting raided by police from IP address tracking, and computers are sized as evidence.
- Two thousand (2000) Technicality, technique, style, and product evolves quicker than it has in twenty years. The Israeli West Bank barrier becomes a popular hall of fame for many street artists, including Bansky. Sharp rise of the internet: websites, blogs, chats and forums dedicated to graffiti and street art allows artists to show their works to an international audience and connect with their peers worldwide. Bansky starts making his first stencils around Bristol and London.
- Two thousand one (2001) /Stavanger/ First edition of Nauru Festival, One of the worlds largest celebrations of street art. Shepherd Fairel founds OBEY clothing, one of the most popular street ware brands. Bansky s first book, Banging your head against a brick wall. /New York/ in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, metro stations all over the world increase security measurements, which makes painting graffiti on subways even more challenging.
- Two thousand and two (2002) inspired by European scene, a minority of writers from the USA return Graffiti to the subways. Bansky starts his popular stencil, “Girl with Balloon”.
- Two thousand and three (2003) Bansky moves his massive exhibition ‘Turf War” inside a former warehouse on Hackney.
- Two thousand and four (2004) Graffiti starts selling galleries once more, public perception is changing.
- Two thousand and five (2005) London bombings increase security in subways, Graffiti is moved from trains . Writers get heavy jail time as visual crime. Undermines politicians promises of safety. Countries use forensic investigation to track culprits.
- Two thousand and six (2006) Graffiti grows in Asian countries, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia
- Two thousand and seven (2007) graffiti documentary ‘Bomb it” explores the interplay between world wide graffiti movements from and international viewpoint. Charlie Ahearnes book ‘Wildstyle’ the sampler celebrating the movies silver anniversary providing the inside look at the making of the film. /Bristol/ first edition of the Upfest graffiti and street art festival.
- Two thousand and nine (2009) /Miami/ real estate developer Tony Goldman creates the mural project Wynwood Walls to revitalize the former industrial area. With murals by the famous international street artist, the area becomes a popular tourist destination.
- Two thousand ten (2010)Banskys documentary movie, ‘Exit through the gift shop’. The birth of instagram enables artists to start managing their personal brand independently, directly showing their art without the middleman.
- Two thousand eleven (2011) stencil art emerges in the streets of Cario as a powerful means to deploy symbolic images during the Arab spring uprisings. /Los Angeles/ Museum of Contemporary Art breaks the attendance records with its ‘Art in the streets’ exhibition. /Volkingen/ First urban art Biennle at the Volklingen Ironworks.
- Two thousand thirteen (2013)/New York/ Jospeh Ficalora starts the Bushwick Collective, street art project that turns industrial neighborhood of Bushwick into an open air museum that attracts many tourists.
- Two thousand and fourteen (2014) Grafiiti Laban led intimidating and public nuisance by media. /Berlin/ street artist BLU erases his own murals to speak out against gentrification in the district, intended as a wake-up call to the city and its dwellers championing the preservation of affordable and lively spaces.
- Two thousand fifteen (2015) the Amsterdam Museum hosts the exhibition ‘Graffiti. New York meets the Dam”, a retrospect of the years 1970-1991
- Two thousand sixteen (2016) /Bologna/ Street artist BLU once again erases two of his own murals, this time protesting the exhibition ‘;Street Art. Bansky & Co’ /Rio de Janeiro/ Konrad, the artist known for the Anne Frank portrait mural, paints a 3000 square meter mural for the Olympics.
- Two thousand eighteen (2018) Faces Places by street artist JR nominated for Best Documentary. /London/ Bansky draws worldwide attention for remote control shredding of his own ‘Girl with a Ballon’ at auction, after it was sold for1.04 million.
- Two thousand nineteen (2019) /Paris/ JR transforms Louvres iconic pyramid into a 2000 piece paper optical illusion. Selina Miles directs the feature documentary Martha, about graffiti photographers Martha Cooper, co author of subway art /London/ Banskys painting “Devolved Parliment sells for 9.9 million, making Bansky one of the world most expensive artists
- Two thousand twenty (2020) /Amsterdam/ Opening STRATT, the worlds graffiti and street art museum.
WHAT TYPES OF GRAFFITI STYLES ARE THERE?
1. Tags or Tagging
Tagging is the easiest, simplest, and most recognized style of graffiti. A tag is essentially the artist’s “signature” using a pseudonym.
A tag is usually created with spray paint cans, includes only one color, and writes the artist’s tag name or identifying symbol.
Famous taggers include the legendary Cornbread, who broke into the Philadelphia Zoo in the 1960s and spray-painted “Cornbread Lives” onto the side of an elephant.
2. Throw Ups
A throw-up is another form of tagging. It is usually a more significant size that is more sophisticated and may use more paints and colors.
Throw-ups are often written with bubble-style writing using spray paint cans. Famous artists working in this style include Eine, Twist, and Iz the Wiz.
3. Blockbuster
A blockbuster goes up one more level of sophistication from a throw up. It is much bigger and often fills up an entire space, such as a wall.
However, like a tag and a throw-up, a blockbuster is still produced in a relatively short period.
The lettering of a blockbuster is often created in a block style, and the writer may use rollers. Eggs, Nekst, and Katsu, are examples of famous graffiti artists who create blockbuster works.
4. Wildstyle
Wildstyle graffiti is also text-based, but it uses elaborate font styles that can be difficult to read.
The legibility doesn’t make wildstyle graffiti unappealing; it is generally perceived as one of the most visually attractive tagging styles.
Complicated and interlocked letters, spikes, arrows, and other decorative elements are incorporated into this complex artwork.
Multiple colors are used to create wildstyle graffiti, and the artist may also paint a background. Famous wildstyle artists include Dondi White, Daze, Saber, Comet, Blade, and Futura 2000.
5. Heaven or Heaven-spot
Heaven is very hard to get into, at least in the graffiti world. Heaven or the heaven-spot refers to graffiti art in hard-to-reach places.
These artworks are typically found very high up on buildings that are very difficult to get to, bridges, roofs, etc.
Graffiti artists who manage to create graffiti in a heaven-spot gain credibility from their peers.
6. Stencil
Stencil graffiti has become incredibly popular. The artist known as “Banksy” has utilized the stencil style and brought it into the mainstream.
Stencils are shapes made of cardboard, paper, metal, plastic, or other materials. An artist will then spray against the stencil to create an image or text.
They can take the stencil and reproduce the picture again and again. Some stencils get rolled onto walls and other surfaces.
Some of the most recognizable graffiti names today are stencil artists, such as Banksy, Blek le Rat, Shepard Fairey, and Vhils.
7. Poster or Paste-up
Posters or paste-ups are a quick and easy way to put up pieces. These artists will create their artwork at home and then paste it up on walls and other public places.
Like stencil graffiti, you can replicate and mass-produce posters or paste-ups.
Unlike commercial posters, this artwork gets put up without permission, which classifies it as graffiti art. Famous poster artists include Eddie Colla, Lost Hills, and Pyramid Oracle.
8. Sticker or Slap
Stickers are similar to posters in that they can be mass-produced and are not created “in the field.”
However, stickers are smaller than posters and do not require paste. Some stickers are simply tags drawn onto sticky labels, while other more sophisticated stickers are created using computer graphics and are more elaborate. Well-known sticker artists include Sheppard Fairy, ObeyGiant, and Ben Frost.
9. Piece
A ‘piece is a graffiti picture that has been painted freehand. The name, as you may have guessed, is short for a masterpiece.
These artworks contain at least three colors and usually take longer to paint than a tag. A ‘piece will often reach a level of public acceptability that most graffiti does not achieve.
A ‘piece created in an obvious place will gain respect from both the public and other artists.
It may be perceived as street art, assumed to have been painted with permission.
However, it is still illegal and gains respect from graffiti artists – because standing in public places painting walls without permission takes a significant risk.
Famous artists using this style include Daze, Lady Pink, Taps & Moses, and Horfe.
10. 3D Graffiti
3D graffiti creates an elaborate illusion and is also well perceived by the public. 3D graffiti pieces are usually visual scenes that create the illusion of a third dimension.