Wildstyle

For other uses, see Wildstyle (disambiguation).

Wildstyle in Los Angeles

Wildstyle in San Francisco

Wildstyle is a complicated and intricate form of graffiti. Due to its complexity, it is often very hard to read by people who are not familiar with it. Usually, this form of graffiti incorporates interwoven and overlapping letters and shapes. It may include arrows, spikes, and other decorative elements depending on the technique used. The numerous layers and shapes make this style extremely difficult to produce homogeneously, which is why developing an original style in this field is seen as one of the greatest artistic challenges to a graffiti writer. Wildstyle pieces are also known as "burners", meaning "hot" as fire. Wildstyles are seen as the one of most complicated and difficult tags and are often used to get an artist's work seen (rather than to put a political message or any other kind of message across). Wildstyle is also the name of a flamboyantly dressed super cool underground bedroom DJ aka Chris Wild.

Pioneers of Wildstyle

The original pioneers of wildstyle were Tracy 168 and Stay High 149, and later such notables as Zephyr advanced the highly personalized style.

Styles of the Wildstyle

Wildstyles commonly include a set of arrows, curves and letters which have been so transformed as to be rendered arcane to the eyes of non-graffiti artists. It has also been common practice to incorporate 3D elements into the pieces, and even transform the whole letter structure into three dimensions, to add to the depth of visual perception of the work. Many artists have different elements to add to their wildstyle that gain that writer a good deal of respect within the underground subculture.

External links

• Subway Art online
• Graffiti glossary
• FatCap, Worldwide graffiti blog
• Art of graffiti - Wildstyle section