Subway Art

Ephemeral, secretive, illegal. Rebellious, provacative, competitive. This is America's newest folk art. Seeded in the gang rivalry of New York's adolescents, it has developed from crude graffiti writing to a highly sophisticated calligraphy that flowers in a constantly changing, bold and brilliant traveling show on the city's subway system.Two gifted photographers, working closely with the "writers" themselves, have documented every aspect of this extraordinary urban subculture: its origins and history, styles and techniques, vocabulary and conventions, the philosphy of the talented and innovative young artists, and the hostility of unappreciative authority.This is the definitive record of a unique cultural phenomenon that is equally fascinating in its social significance and in its artistic importance. Subway art has surfaced from underground to appear on the walls of major galleries and museums around the world. Along with break dancing and rap music, it is a component of the "Hip Hop" style that has become the most dynamic creative expression of the early 1980s.-