Graffiti is a common feature of most Western cities. The word graffiti was from the Greek word, graphein, which only meant writing. These days, however, the word means drawing or writing on the walls of buildings, or on public transportation, as trains and buses.
Graffiti, as a form of art, was (bear) in New York during the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, a new modem culture about city life appeared Graffiti was a written form of (express) of that life. Later, it was mixed with a (music) form called hip-hop that was another city life.
At , graffiti artists used pens. But then, with the development of graffiti, they became experienced. They enjoyed cans of spray paint(喷漆). Spray paint allowed them to cover a greater area. And it also allowed them to work quickly, which was an advantage when they worked in neighborhoods where graffiti wasn't welcome.
At the present time, different people have different ideas about graffiti. Some people say it the cities dirty. It isn't allowed by many local governments in (Europe) countries and the United States. The governments spend than a million dollars a year cleaning graffiti. The money, they say, could be better spent on health or education. Other people think that it is a form of art. In fact, the works of some (humor) graffiti artists can be found in museums, galleries, and art books.