Drawings On The Wall: The Graffiti Timeline

Sixty-four thousand years ago, a Neanderthal caveperson drew abstract patterns of what seemed to be animals in Cantabria, Spain. Out of fashion and outdated, they used earthy pigments and shells to make their art. They drew what they saw and what they hoped their lives would be. A man and a sabretooth, a funny story written with images their descendants will spend decades trying to read. This, boys and girls, is believed to be the oldest cave painting the modern human will come to know, sparking a generational tradition of painting art on the walls of the world. Only now, we don’t call it something formal like ‘palaeolithic’ or ‘parietal’, but a unique little word stemming from the Italians. Only now do we call it “graffiti” art, after the word “graffito”, meaning “scribbles and scratches”.

Modern graffiti:

The graffiti art we know of today has gone through a lengthy evolution. It is no longer just scribbles on caves and walls but a unique category of art with varying complexities and deep meaning in each and every work. It consists of 18 different styles, such as murals and calligraphy. The most prominent styles are tagging, one of the first variations of graffiti dating all the way back to the times of Pompeii, where an artist would leave behind a stylised signature of their name, and throw-ups, when an artist speaks their truth in whimsical bubble-shaped letters. These are some of the most simple among the 18, resulting in their popularity in the 21st century. If a man or woman were to walk down the street, and if that street has met our friend ‘graffiti’ at least once or twice, these two styles would be the first thing they see, for this has become the urban norm. However, to the surprise of many, even the most alternative have alternatives. Within the proclaimed art of “rule-breakers”, anti-style presents itself as an outlier for the traditions of graffiti. It often lacks cohesion, shape, and proper lining, giving it a messy and raw appearance to its viewers and challenging its category, defying even the most defiant.  Each artist’s choice of personal style is important, as it reflects on the identity and the purpose of their art. For instance, Banksy famously used stencils, a style that involves forming moulds from sheets of plastic, metal or paper which will then be coloured using spray paint, to convey political activism through art.

In The Times Of Pompeii:

The first popularisation of graffiti seemed to have appeared among the ruins of Pompeii. Within the long-forgotten city, graffiti was used for various purposes. During times of war or political conflict, it was often utilised to convey political beliefs and campaigns, which would later be coined as “election graffiti”, or to evacuate citizens in case of an attack. Some would scribble on the date and location of gladiator fights, funny cartoons and comedic short stories, prices of groceries, and advertisements for different businesses. Whereas others would start full-blown arguments on tavern walls. For instance, the series of graffiti “CIL IV 8258”, which documents a love triangle between a barmaid named Iris and two other men, Successus and Severus. According to Alison E. Cooley’s translation (2004), upon the walls of a Pompeian bar, Severus wrote:

“Successus, a weaver, loves the innkeeper’s slave girl named Iris. She, however, does not love him.

                         Still he begs her to have pity on him. His rival wrote this.  Goodbye.”

To which Successus replied:

“Envious one, why do you get in the way?” On that very same wall, he continued:

“Submit to a handsomer man and one who is being treated very wrongly and is good-looking.”

To which Severus replied:

“I have spoken. I have written all there is to say.

                                            You love Iris, but she does not love you.”

However, the use of graffiti wasn't all practical. Our fellow ancestors, the ancient Pompeians, believed in self-expression, and it manifested itself in more than just their books or their clothes; it was on every wall of their city. “I was here,” a common Pompeian saying that laid the groundwork. To them, existing wasn’t just enough, but it was leaving behind an individual impact on history. Thus, the Pompeians showed the oldest and earliest signs of “tagging” in art, an unmissable component of graffiti. 

In the 1960s and 1970s:

Modern graffiti originates from the city of Philadelphia, at the hands of Darrel McCray, better known by his moniker “Cornbread” in the 1960s. He is considered to be one of the first modern graffiti writers, having begun his long legacy in art on the facility walls of the Youth Development Center as a young teenager. He worked entirely with tagging all over North Philadelphia and drew his name on the city’s infrastructure, such as abandoned buildings and bus stops, inspiring other writers and artists in the area. Outside of being a pioneer for urban culture, he is also known to have pulled off daring stunts with just a can of spray paint in his hand. When the local newspaper mistakenly reported that “Cornbread” was killed in an incident of gang violence, the young artist sneaked into the Philadelphia Zoo and spray-painted the cheeky message “Cornbread Lives” on the skin of an elephant, almost alluding to a tattoo. This stunt, however ‘cool’, would later land him in jail for the crime of vandalism.  And in the decade after, 90 miles away from Philadelphia was New York City, a place where the presence of graffiti no longer limits itself to city walls, for it can be seen on the sides of subway cars. Artists like Andrew Witten, otherwise known as “Zephyr”, were some of the many New Yorkers that supported this trend from 1977 to 1981 as key members of the graffiti crews “The Rebels” (TR) and “Rolling Thunder Writers” (RTW). A tradition later continued by partners Jean-Michel Basquiat and Al Diaz with their signature tag called “SAMO”, carrying the meaning of ‘Same Old’. This tag was used by the two to write satirical messages and social commentary on capitalism, religion, and other pressing topics at the time, such as “SAMO as an end to mind wash religion, nowhere politics and bogus philosophy” and “SAMO as an alternative to mass-produced individuality”. 

The Eighties Crackdown:

In 1984, the president of the New York Transit Authority, David Gunn, launched the Clean Car Program (CCP), ushering in a new era of blank slates and clean public transportation across New York. Graffiti was still nothing but a child at the time, and so this programme was seen by many as a public execution to the small community, while authorities tracked down graffiti artists and writers, threatening civil action and prosecution. As a part of their initiative, New York City police would ride train after train to ‘catch’ offenders and often focused on lines mostly concentrated with students and minor youths. In its first year, arrests for graffiti vandalism were 1435 overall, but in its third year, arrests significantly reduced as police only made 215 by 1987. The program lived for 5 years, and by 1989, 6245 subway cars were removed, exceeding its 6221 limit originally set; New York City police had established an anti-graffiti unit to safeguard trains and remove subway cars with at least 2 hours' notice; and subway cars had been removed at least 10 times during rush hour during the program.  Thus, it was seen by the government as a booming success. But unbeknownst to authorities, the programme evolved from more than just a death sentence to an influential hand leading the community to integrate itself into street art and urban culture, taking centre stage on more permissible murals and larger festivals. While the bigger names such as Lady Pink, Futura 2000, Dondi White, and Crash crossed into the formal art world, working on canvases and sculptures and displaying their art in galleries, as a result of stricter policies.

21st Century Artists:

By the beginning of the 21st century, graffiti had legitimised itself as an art form for the modern age, spreading globally as a haven of self-expression and free speech. Now, pieces often lack rigid lines or shape, defying even the most defiant of all. Names worth remembering in 2025 can be artists like the Feldman Sisters, AROE, Matt Dosa, GREY, and Remi Rough. All are often known for their large-scale work and unique signature style. 

Bibliography

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Pompeiiinpictures.com, 2024, pompeiiinpictures.com/pompeiiinpictures/R1/1%2010%2002.htm.

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Sloan-Howitt, Maryalice, and George Kelling. “Meanin It and Cleanin It.” 1990, popcenter.asu.edu/sites/g/files/litvpz3631/files/171-sloan-howitt_kelling-subway_graffiti_in_new_york_city_.pdf.

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