For some, graffiti is just vandalism of a perfectly good city wall; for others, graffiti is another form of art that sees an urban wall as its canvas.

As a form of expression, graffiti has existed since at least the time of Ancient Egypt. The word itself comes from the Italian graffito (or "scratch"). Our modern concept of graffiti began around the 1970s, as spray paint in aerosol cans became widely available and New York subway trains were the first targets of "tagging" by teenagers. And while efforts have been made around the world to get rid of unwanted graffiti, the art has bloomed in Los Angeles.

LA has become a center for modern street art, drawing both local and international artists. One such artist is Banksy, who created a massive mural called "Flower Girl" in Beverly Hills. Another prominent artist is Mr. Cartoon, whose graffiti style has blended with his work as a celebrity tattoo artist. Daniel Ramos got notoriety for tagging several walls with the name "CHAKA" on thousands of city walls ranging from LA to San Francisco. And the record for the largest graffiti painting goes to an artist named Saber, who spent 35 days in 1997 painting the concrete bank along the Los Angeles River.

Other murals are prominent in the Hollywood area, particularly around Melrose and Fairfax, or in the West Side near Venice Beach. Most artists, however, are not widely known--especially with the public opinion of "unauthorized" graffiti art--and many simply sign their works under an stylized alias. The debate over the legal and cultural value of graffiti art is still ongoing.

To learn more about graffiti art in the Los Angeles area, check out such sites as Graffiti LA, 50mm Los Angeles, and Complex.com's article on the 25 greatest LA graffiti writers.

Image by johnwilliamsphd on Flickr