Graffiti is going mainstream as more and more “street artists” get recognition for their talents.

　　As long as we’ve had walls and writing, we’ve had graffiti. Writing over 4,000 years old has been found carved on walls in Egypt, and the buildings of ancient Rome were often covered with political messages. In fact, the word “graffiti” comes from the ancient Greek word for “to write”.

　　自从我们有了墙壁和书写以来，我们就有涂鸦。我们在埃及的墙上发现了超过4,000年历史的文字，古罗马的建筑上也经常写着政治信息。事实上，“涂鸦”这个词源自古希腊单词“书写”。

　　Fast-forward to New York in the 1950s. Street gangs marked their territory with symbols – warnings to rival gangs and the police. Written in marker pen or spray paint, these designs were purely functional but they gradually made way for more artistic work.

　　将时间快进到1950年代的纽约。街头帮派以记号标示他们的地盘，作为对敌对帮派和警察的警示。这些用记号笔或喷漆画的图案原本只具功能性，但是它们逐渐成为更具艺术性的作品。

　　By the late 1970s, buildings and subway cars were covered with spray-painted “tags” – the stylized signatures of illicit painters. Invisible during the day, the taggers would come out at night to cover the city with ink and paint. In addition to their signatures, the taggers would also create wild, colorful images often with political and social messages. “Graffiti is a way for people to express themselves when they don’t feel they can do so publicly,” says Joe Austin, a professor of popular culture at Bowling Green State University.

　　到了1970年代末期，建筑物和地铁车厢都布满喷漆画的“花笔签名”──非法画家的艺术性签名。这些涂画者白天不见踪影，晚上就出来用墨水和油漆涂满整个城市。除了他们的签名外，这些涂画者还创作出色彩缤纷的狂野图像，而这些图像通常都带着政治和社会信息。“涂鸦是一种当人们觉得无法公开表达自我时所采取的方式。”伯林格林州立大学的流行文化教授乔伊·奥斯汀这样说。

　　While the taggers see their work as street art, the authorities tend to see it as vandalism. Taggers face fines, community service and even jail time. Their works are usually painted over quickly, and cities around the world spend an estimated $30 billion a year to remove graffiti.

　　虽然涂画者视他们的作品为街头艺术，但行政当局倾向于将此视为蓄意破坏公物。涂画者面临罚款、社区服务甚至坐牢的处罚。他们的作品通常很快就被覆盖掉，据估计，世界各地的城市每年花费300亿美元来消除涂鸦。

　　But there are private citizens who support graffiti, saying it’s a welcome addition to otherwise dull and featureless streets. Give Graffiti The Thumbs Up, a Chicago-based organization, is buying ads to try to influence public opinion with their slogan “Keep America Colorful.”

　　但是仍有支持涂鸦的个人市民，他们说那是在黯淡且无特色的街道上添加的受欢迎的景观。以芝加哥为根据地的机构“涂鸦万岁”，正在买广告，试图以他们“让美国充满缤纷色彩”的口号来影响公众意见。

　　More recently, graffiti has gone mainstream. Modern art museums regularly display photos of notable graffiti, and some have invited street artists to come in and create original works within the museums themselves. “It’s kind of funny to think that I’ve got work hanging in a museum, but I still have to keep an eye out for the police, ” says one artist.

　　最近涂鸦已经变成主流。现代美术馆定期展出著名的涂鸦作品照片，有些还请来街头艺术家在美术馆内亲自创作原创作品。“想到我有作品挂在美术馆内却还要留意警察，这实在有点好笑。”一位艺术家这样说。