Page 83 - All About History - Issue 56-17

Graffiti through the Ages

Modern art
Graffiti art proper, as opposed to simple written tags, Magic marks
really took off in the 1970s. In 1979, an exhibition in
a Roman gallery introduced the concept of graffiti Graffiti sometimes had ritual uses.
as art to the world at large. What had been a societal Apotropaic marks are used to ward off evil
scourge began to turn up in galleries and people and have been found in churches, homes
would pay money to own what they had previously and even barns
scrubbed from their walls.
Solomon’s knot
Now graffiti is in the eye of the beholder; despite
the bankability of Banksy, council workers still An intricate knot of lines,
sometimes scour his works from walls, unaware of Solomon’s knot has been
what they are washing down the drain. depicted in Christian, Islamic
With money comes commercialisation. and Jewish artwork. In
Companies pay talented graffiti artists to spray their Britain, it was believed that
message far and wide. But even this is no novelty. simple-minded demons would
On the walls of Pompeii, one could find adverts for become trapped as they tried
gladiator shows, brothels and property for rent all to follow the lines, rendering
jostling for space. The human story, it seems, is one them harmless.
Banksy’s graffiti
that will be always written on our walls.
often gets political
Daisy wheel
This mark sees circles incised
A street mural in with a compass to form a
New York City
hexafoil pattern. One of the
most common designs, it
has many variants. Similar to
Solomon’s knot, the unbroken
lines may have been thought
to trap evil spirits.
Taper marks
What at first glance look like
accidental burn marks on
building timbers are actually
thought to be marks known
as taper burns. These were
sometimes deliberately
scorched onto a beam with
a flame before it was used in
construction. This was thought
to protect the building from
fire and lightning.
There have always been Demon traps
arguments about whether
graffiti is art or vandalism Intricate, maze-like patterns
were used to distract demons
by making them lose their
way. Examples have been
found in chambers used by
King James VI of Scotland, a
strong believer in witchcraft.

Pentagram
An ancient symbol that
appears in both ancient
Greece and Babylonia, the
pentagram was thought to be
particularly powerful against
demons. Mephistopheles, a
character in Goethe’s Faust,
is unable to cross a threshold © Alamy, Getty, M. J. Champion
marked with the pentagram.
© Photos courtesy of M. J. Champion

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