Graffiti L.A.: Street Styles and Art (with cd-rom) | 
 enlarge | Author: Steve Grody
Creator: James Prigoff
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $19.90
You Save: $15.10 (43%)
New (43) Used (15) from $13.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 64556
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.1
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 8.7 x 1.4
ISBN: 0810992981
Dewey Decimal Number: 751.730979494
EAN: 9780810992986
ASIN: 0810992981
Publication Date: May 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Long before graffiti was adopted as the visual expression of hip-hop culture in the 1980s, Chicano gang members in East Los Angeles had been developing stylized calligraphy and writing on walls. Cholo (gangster) scripts became the first distinctive letter forms to evolve in the modern vernacular tradition of graffiti writing. Today Los Angeles writers of diverse backgrounds draw from a unique confluence of cultures that has led to regionally distinctive styles.
Graffiti L.A. provides a comprehensive and visual history of graffiti in Los Angeles, as well as an in-depth examination of the myriad styles and techniques used by writers today. Complementing the main text, interviews with L.A.s most prolific and infamous writers provide insight into the lives of these fugitive artists. Essential to the understanding of the development of the graffiti movement, this book will be an invaluable source to graffiti fans around the world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
Fantastic January 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ample photos and interesting text...a fine book to own if one is interested in graffiti art in the LA area
The One and Only November 25, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
By no exaggeration, this book is the best of its kind. It starts out with the history of gang writing then follows up with the evolution of the art including techniques, paint and cap types, run-ins with the law, etc. The pictures are as clear as can be, and the forever present artist commentary is the perfect compliment to the fantastic collection of pics. This is a must own for any fan of graffiti.
Documentation of a Vibrant Art Form November 5, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Fifty years ago, graffiti was something written in restrooms and was relatively private. Now graffiti is an art form. You can think of it as vandalism; if it is your wall, or a public wall, and it is supposed to stay clean and undecorated, any unwanted spray-painting, no matter how fancy, is vandalism. But even if it is vandalism (and sometimes the owner of the wall invites the decoration, or the painting is done on canvas for a gallery), there is no arguing that graffiti now is some sort of art. This is especially obvious if you examine the hundreds of pictures in _Graffiti L.A.: Street Styles and Art_ (Abrams) by Steve Grody. Grody loves the graffiti of Los Angeles, and booms, "Along with the myriad styles these artists have created, they have also evolved world-class graphic skills now comparable to the best aerosol work anywhere." It seems funny that anyone would be comparing "aerosol work" from any locales, but you don't have to know about the styles elsewhere to enjoy the astonishing colors and designs found here. Grody examines the ethical issues of this sort of work, but it is clear that such evaluation is secondary to the art itself. He includes interviews with many of the artists (they call themselves "writers"), examines techniques and styles, and shows an appreciation of how this peculiar form of art has redeemed many of its practitioners, and redeemed some blighted public spaces as well.
The spray can is the choice of the writers because it is easily concealed and is portable. On the wall's surface, its effects can be controlled, but it can also cover an area quickly. The furtiveness of making graffiti necessitates the use of the spray can, but writers use it even in gallery work. It is also used, when no concealment is needed, on a "permission wall", a surface donated by its owner for esthetic reasons to be the site of an elaborate piece. The writers quoted here have much to say about the work of others; it is clear that they have examined styles carefully and can give intelligent critiques of what they have seen, and that they admire the works of competent competitors. They know "bad can control" or excessive imitation when they see it. The writers are in danger of criminal prosecution if they are not working on permission walls, and are in physical danger if they are working on some surface that is elevated. There is little tangible reward to this type of artistry, which is mainly a means of self expression with little other benefit. Grody writes, "It is this creative passion in light of all the obstacles that gives the best work its pop pulp energy." There are numerous stories here about members who were at risk of descending into drug use or crimes worse than artistic vandalism, but were saved by joining a group of like-minded artists.
The descriptions here of classifications of the work, the social forces at play, and the lives of the writers are all good for putting the pictures here in context, but the pictures are the show in this big and glossy book. Not all the pictures could even get in here, as with the book there is a disk included of hundreds more, along with audio interviews. It is fun to try to make out the letters, which are clear in some of the examples shown here, but are often so stretched and stylized that even if you know the crew that has put its name up, it is hard to pick the letters out. The depiction of figures or portraits is sometimes hyper-realistic, but usually in a comic book style, and is (to my eyes) far less appealing than the letters shaped into abstractions of extraordinary complexity and color. Grody has a couple of pages to illustrate some basic techniques, like cuts, 3-D, or letter blends, but there is no need to acquire a technical eye to enjoy the shows of kinetic mural energy displayed here. There is still some moral ambiguity about some pieces and their execution, but one picture after another shows that this is a vibrant and valid form of folk art.
Real LA Graff October 8, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
All I can say is get this book!!!!If you love that LA raw stuff.It's pretty well rounded,and gives you a whole look at what's going on past and present.If you have never been to LA.Here is your chance.Oh and it's focus is not on just one crew.Get this book first, on LA graff if you have to choose one.Plus an cd rom with photo's.You can't beat that.Good job Mr.Grody GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amazing pictures w/ interesting info about artists.. July 7, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this book for my bf, because he loves graffiti art, and used to have his own crew many years ago. He loves to look at the pictures, and see the deeper meanings that a lot of artists present in their graffiti along with murals. Finding the artist's tags in the art is also fun. We both enjoy looking through this book, and plan to buy similar items in the future.
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