Graffiti and Street Art

Modern graffiti began in big cities in the United States in the 1970s. InNew York， young people wrote their names or “tags” in pen on walls aroundthe city.

One of the first “taggers” was a teenager called Demetrius. His tagwas TAKI 183. He wrote his tag on walls and in stations in New York. Otherteenagers saw Demetrius’s tag and started writing their tags too. Soon， therewere tags on walls， buses and trains all over the New York.

Then， some teenagers started writing their tags with aerosol paint. Theirtags were bigger and more colourful. Aerosol paint graffiti became verypopular in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the 1990s and 2000s， a lot of graffiti artists started painting pictures.Some were about politics， other artists wanted to make cities beautiful andpainted big， colourful pictures.

In some countries， writing or painting on walls is a crime. Sometimes，graffiti artists have problems with the police. In other countries， artists candraw and paint in certain places.

In Taiwan， there are “graffiti zones” where artists can paint. In São Paulo，some tourists visit the city just to see the street art！ In Bristol， there is a streetart festival in August every year. Lots of people come to watch the artistspaint all the buildings in a street.

Some street artists have become famous. Os Gemeos， twin brothersfrom Brazil， have painted big， colourful pictures of people on buildings andeven a castle in Scotland！ Blek Le Rat， from Paris， is famous for pictures ofhomeless people. You can find the work of Faith 47， from Cape Town， onpavements， postboxes and buses.

Many street artists now use the Internet to look at photos of street artfrom around the world. They communicate with other artists online andshare ideas. Some are so famous you can see their pictures in art galleriesin Paris， London and Los Angeles.

Activity 1 Match the words from the text to their definitions

1. aerosol

2. crime

3. famous

4. graffiti

5. twin

a. an act prohibited by law

b. a small pressurised can from which a liquid is forced out in a spray

c. one of an identical pair

d. words or drawings written or sprayed

on walls， etc. often without permission

e. known or recognised by many

Activity 2 Match a description with a place name from the box.

1. São Paulo

2. New York

3. Cape Town

4. Paris

5. Scotland

6. Bristol

a. Twin brothers painted an old monument here.

b. This is Faith 47’s home town.

c. There is a street art festival here every year.

d. Tourists visit this city just to see the street art.

e. In the 1970s， people started writing tags on the city walls here.

f. You might see graffiti in an art gallery here.

参考答案：

Activity 1

1. b; 2. a; 3. e; 4. d; 5. c

Activity 2

1. d; 2. e; 3. b; 4. f; 5. a; 6. c