LA Graffiti Black Book features 151 Los Angeles artists’ work
Posted on June 25, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist

Maybe it’s just me, but I have a love/hate relationship with Los Angeles that won’t disappear. But, what else would I expect from a city “founded” September 4, 1781, after a 20-year infiltration of Spaniard colonization efforts? Yes. Crime. Homelessness. Bad attitudes. All of those things exist in Los Angeles, making it a place for a person like me raised in its eastern suburbs, a location that I largely avoid.
But I cannot forget the countless times as a child that I sat in my mother’s backseat, peering east toward Los Angeles while traveling across the 57 freeway from Diamond Bar to San Dimas. On a clear day, crossing over those tall roadways and bridges, I occasionally caught the faint image of skyscraper buildings that looked to me like the real-life Emerald City depicted in Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz. I was Dorothy on the golden road to the promised land of Oz in those days.
As an adult, I took my kids on the Metrolink train to Grand Central Station in downtown Los Angeles occasionally to spend a few short hours in the city. The raw beauty of Los Angeles’ backdrop was masked by the manmade beauty of a 240-year-old city that continued to hold its original charm. For a person like me, to visit the Los Angeles Times building, in which I worked as a freelancer, was like living a dream. And it was a dream I will never forget.
Along with the stunning antique architecture of Los Angeles is the vast expression of art that decorates its building’s walls. Paint on a concrete canvas tells the story of Los Angeles’ people, its story, its struggles, and triumphs in a way perfectly suited to the City of Angels. L.A. Graffiti Black Book captures and celebrates that art on paper. Though the smells of local eateries and food trucks are missing, and the faint scent of flower blooms mixed with the sometimes oppressive heat of the sun hitting concrete cannot be included, the pure, raw grit of humanity screams its message loud and clear.
This art is incredible and created by artists invited by the Getty Research Institute, who commissioned the Black Book, a term used to describe the sketchbooks many graffiti artists use to create their work. This book is a modern-day depiction of the antique art black books invited artists studied.
Artists include Angst, Axis, Big Sleeps, Chaz, Cre8, Defer, EyeOne, Fishe, Heaven, Hyde, Look, ManOne, and Prime, to consider the idea of a citywide graffiti black book.
This group of talented men and women visited the Getty Center, studied rare books relating to calligraphy and letterforms, and recognized the connection between ancient geniuses and their genius at work. Participating artists then took their Getty visit inspiration, created their own interpretations of that work, and then invited other artists to participate in the Getty Graffiti Black Book project. In all, 151 Los Angeles artists participated in this publication, a page-by-page reproduction of their work.
The L.A. Graffiti Black Book is a lettered study, and very, well, Los Angeles; a diverse artistic Emerald City standing tower-like for all to enjoy. The best part about this scenario is that you don’t need a clear day to see the beauty. You simply need to crack its covers.
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Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

Graffiti letter art defies the structure of common letters yet is reminiscent of the history and evolution of letters. They look a lot like early calligraphy and the more artistically drawn formal styles.

Graffiti has long been seen as a negative symbol, often found in urban neighborhoods and associated with criminal activity. The act of creating graffiti is illegal and is considered vandalism. Vandalism is deliberate destruction of or damage to property. However, in recent years, graffiti is seen as more art than some villainous act of defiance. The work in this book is expressive and beautiful. It incorporates aspects of race, culture, popular culture icons, geography, history, gender, religious symbols, and more in ways that are profoundly unique.

When I look at these pieces of art, I don’t see deliberate destruction. I see emotion, creativity, purpose. Collaborative efforts to please the eye and soul, with technical prowess that many trained artists may struggle to grasp. L.A. Graffiti Black Book showcases art with realism, cartoon styles, angles and depth, shading, stippling, geometry, typography, calligraphy, caricature, negative space, and plenty of others I know are there but don’t have the technical knowledge for.

This is the type of book I would want for a “coffee table book” because I would be so in awe of what is inside, I would forget my surroundings, where I am, and why I am there. The art contained within this book draws you in and transports you to wherever the artist is trying to take you. However, saying it is a coffee table book is an insult to the artists within and the messages that are communicated through their artwork.

There are some excellent quotes in this book that really capture, for me, the essence of graffiti as an art form, especially typographical graffiti:

“Words are both symbols and sounds. A sentence is like a line of music.”

“The human urge to permanently manifest one’s identity for all to see is fundamental to creative expression, as visceral as commemorating love by carving initials into a tree.”

I really enjoyed this collection, which I think is uniquely poised to be a super meaningful reading experience now, in a time when many of us (myself included) haven't been a museum in almost a year, and don't feel safe going anytime soon. I love art museums, and actually live one block away from one, so it's been torture not being able to take advantage of that. Reading (more like looking at? perusing?) L.A. Graffiti Black Book was like going to a digital museum. I learned more about the graffiti culture in L.A., and about some of the artists, many of whom incorporate their culture into their work.

The art was quite impressive; there were so many pieces, showcasing a huge variety of styles and subjects. A motif throughout was the use of text as art, something which I have always been interested in. The comparison between graffiti and traditional calligraphy was a fascinating one, and one I would have liked to learn more about. Although the book was enjoyable in digital form, I think it would be a much richer experience reading a physical book, since the layout of the art on the (sometimes double) pages would be quite enjoyable, and it would be easier to spend time enjoying the details without having to zoom in on your phone/computer/e-reader. For those interested in purchasing the book, I would definitely recommend getting a physical copy! As another reviewer said, it would be a great coffee table book!

The only thing that I wish this book had was more about the individual artists. I know that some of them wanted to remain anonymous, but a short blurb either about the artist or a short statement about their piece would have added context to the many, many pieces. There were many that struck me, and I would have loved to know more about the artist and their thought process behind the piece. I would have enjoyed more time given to the words of the artists and less time spent on the foreword by the curator, but that's just personal preference. Overall, it was a great experience!

L.A. Graffiti Black Book is an inspiring and interesting collection of graffiti artwork. It is a joy to be able to see some excellent street art when most of the world is confined to their homes. The variety of artists and their different styles was very good and the information about them was very interesting. Just looking forward to enjoying it all for real in the future. Overall an excellent book.

Its such a nice and informative book. I loved all off the pretty photos. They told their own story. Would def buy the book!

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

With the pandemic, I was unable to get to LA for my yearly business trip, so this book was a great way to let me feel like I was back in the California sunshine.

Overall, it's a great book and would be a perfect gift for the artist/tattoo artist/photographer/LA lover in your life.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, I do not have the capability to download it in protected pdf only. Thank you.

An inspiring and interesting collection of graffiti artwork! A great look into various art pieces done from different artists. As someone who grew up in Los Angeles, this was a great look into street art.

*Thanks Netgalley and Getty Publications for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.

From the very description of this book, I was sold. I love looking at art, in all it's forms. And since I haven't been able to visit a museum since March (Thanks COVID), I jumped at the chance to see some art on the safety of my apartment. I was FLOORED. The sheer talent and variation of art styles, techniques and subjects in this book is incredible. I think the diversity and differences from each artist to the next is lovely. It really shows that making art comes from the inside, and that anyone can do it, if they're passionate enough.

I feel like I should say up front, that I am no art critique, I don't know tha fancy lingo or talk around art gallery hmm-ing to myself. However I can tell you that this art moved something inside me. There was just so much emotion in each slide. This would be an excellent piece for a coffee table or a waiting room. Definitely a stand out book and great conversation starter.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.