Question

lex quinones a brief history of graffiti art lex quinones icons of the new york subway art movement 1 lex quinones is a puerto rican artist who first gained recognition for his graffiti pieces painted on new york subway cars. born in 1960 in ponce, puerto rico, 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 “bombing” subway cars. at the time, graffiti was often denigrated as mere vandalism. during that period, new york city was struggling through a time 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 expressing a mass exodus of caucasians. many who remained were of black, latinx, 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 discontent with the status quo. quinones’ work, like the work of many great street artists, emphasized a social and political message of protest—through imagery, symbols, composition, phrases, and also through embracing mediums and venues that were not considered appropriate in the mainstream political or art scene. most of quinones’ early works survive only through sketches and instamatic photographs from that time. 3 in his early years, quinones often painted by moonlight. he used paint markers, spray paint, and alcohol to create wild, frenetical, 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. what is the most likely reason that the author of “lex quinones” includes the detail in paragraph 3 that quinones did his early work by moonlight? a to demonstrate that street art can never reach the heights of respectability that mainstream art enjoys b to highlight that graffiti art existed on the fringes of society and that artists took risks to express themselves c to show that quinones was insecure about his talent and reluctant to exhibit his art to the public d to emphasize that street artists have a natural aversion to social norms and prefer to work in secret

Explanation:

To determine the answer, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage doesn't compare street art's respectability to traditional art. Eliminate A.
• Option B: Quinones painted at night (risky, as graffiti was vandalism) and his art addressed social issues (on society's fringes). This matches the context of graffiti art existing on society's fringes with artists taking risks.
• Option C: The passage shows his art was bold and critical, not insecure. Eliminate C.
• Option D: The passage emphasizes social commentary, not an aversion to social norms. Eliminate D.

Answer:

B. to highlight that graffiti art existed on the fringes of society and that artists took risks to express themselves.