Holloway Road, London
Rio Terra M.Foscarini, Venice
Railway line, Milan-Malpensa
Holloway Road, London
Venice
So, I don’t know why, and don’t really know whether it’s an expression of something cultural/political, but as a general impression, I always get the feeling that there is more graffiti in continental Europe than in London. Sure, most of it – as with most of it in London – is the unintelligable scribble of a mark whose meaning is known only to the painter and a few select friends/rivals. Some of it is linked to crime; some of it is kids playing, some of it is standard political protest – which in my own quaint way, I sort of cheer for – and every now and then, some of it is a splash of colour on concrete. The railways of Europe are particularly heavily painted on. Brussels Midi is a particularly boring, depressing station but the tracks leading out of it are three inches thick with every kind of graffiti you could ever see. The railway lines of Italy are also covered in paint, so much so that you begin to wonder how the painters got access to some of the stuff they’re drawing. Alas, I didn’t own a camera until a few months ago, so these are only some of the more recent pictures I stumbled over when last in Europe!
1 comment
AdrianH says:
August 14, 2009 at 10:11 pm (UTC 1 )
[quote]So, I don’t know why, and don’t really know whether it’s an expression of something cultural/political, but as a general impression, I always get the feeling that there is more graffiti in continental Europe than in London.[/quote]
Not that I’ve travelled extensively in Europe, but when I was in France, particularly in Lyon, I was struck by the sheer volume of grafitti, particularly tagging that seemed to be everywhere. We’re frequently informed that grafitti is a scourge that blights Britain, but it certainly seems to exist in equal, or greater, amounts elsewhere. Most, sadly, is crude, ignorant and poorly executed, but every so often I see a tag or piece that has real skill and thought, carried out with an almost casual but draughtsmanlike ability that stops me in my tracks in admiration. Not all are a Banksy, but there are real artists out there. An Urban Magic to be sure.