Barcelona's Street Art

Most large cities have street art, but Barcelona is one of these cities that perhaps welcomes it with open arms (or perhaps allow it). It's incorrect to conflate street art with graffiti, as street art is usually painted with permission or commissioned. Graffiti is word-based and its ‘writers’ are mostly self-taught and under most laws, this art-form is considered vandalism, while others appreciate it as a form of art.

Barcelona has the vibrancy of the famous artists who lived within the boundaries of its old quarter such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Antonio Gaudi.

The history of the street art scene in Barcelona begins in the 1970’s with the end of the Franco dictatorship. During the 1980’s it was inspired by the booming street art scene in Paris. Up to around 2002 the laws were relatively lax allowing for street art to flourish in Barcelona.

As per Barcelona Navigator, here are some of the jargon words:

Throw up: A throw-up (throwie) is made up of easy-to-paint bubble style letters.

Tag: A graffiti writer’s tag is his or her unique signature, normally done in one color.

Bombing: To bomb is to paint many surfaces in a city area within a short time.

Installation: A work that is often 3D or sculptural that may combine several techniques.

Wildstyle: A graffiti style using complex lettering which intertwines within itself and often other shapes and lines making it hard to read for the untrained eye.

For larger sized photographs, click this:

Barcelona by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure