Question

lee quinones a brief history of graffiti: art lee quinones icon of the new york subway art movements 1 lee quinones is a puerto rican artist who first gained recognition for his graffiti paintings painted on new york subway cars, starting in 1980 in puerto rico. from there, quinones later moved to the lower east side of new york, new york, where he was raised. as a teenager in the late 1970s and 1980s, he started “tagging” subway cars. at the time, graffiti was often dismissed as mere vandalism. during that period, new york city was struggling through a series of economic and political instability and was on the verge of bankruptcy. 2 new york’s turmoil led to an era of “white flight”—a term representing a mass exodus of caucasians. many who remained were of black, latin, and asian communities. the work of quinones, like that of many street artists of his generation—most of whom came from black and latino, especially puerto rican, dominican, and cuban communities—was rooted in revolutionary sentiments. it tended to touch on matters of race, class, and gender. the street art community was linked to subcultures in hip - hop, punk, and other new wave movements, which used the streets as a forum for their own expression and dissented with the status quo. quinones’ work, like the work of many great street artists, exemplified a social and political message of protest—through imagery, symbols, composition, phrases, and also through embracing interests and vernaculars that were not considered appropriate in the mainstream political or art scene. most of quinones’ early works survive only through sketches and documentary photographs from that time. 3 in his early years, quinones often painted by moonlight. he used paint markers, spray paint, and stencils to create wild, tenacious, often jarring compositions which directly questioned and criticized the vietnam war. his work also was a commentary on social issues like poverty, racial discrimination, and displacement. he describes the works of the new york city subway art movement “like lost dreams.” artists would tag cars and maybe never see them again. the subway cars would survive a few months at most on the rails before being buffed away by authorities. based on both texts, which statement best reflects how the use of graffiti art has developed over time? ⓐ a. graffiti art has changed from a very personal art form to a means of social expression. ⓑ b. graffiti art has evolved from a way to represent ancient cultures into a means to express, identify and make political statements. ⓒ c. graffiti art has had many uses but has proven most useful for expressing one’s personal sense of identity. ⓓ d. graffiti art has achieved a degree of mainstream recognition, but artists still struggle to be taken seriously.

Explanation:

To determine the best statement about graffiti art's development, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The text shows graffiti (like Quinones' work) was personal (tagging, self - expression) and evolved to social expression (addressing race, class, war). This matches.
• Option B: The text doesn't say graffiti originated from representing ancient cultures. Eliminate.
• Option C: The text shows graffiti was used for social/political expression, not just personal identity. Eliminate.
• Option D: The text focuses on its evolution in expression, not on mainstream recognition struggles. Eliminate.

Answer:

A. Graffiti art has changed from a very personal art form to a means of social expression.