Stencil Graffiti (Street Graphics / Street Art) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Street art is both an expression of our culture and a counterculture in itself..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, San Diego, Jaspar Goodhall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By now a familiar sight on city streets, Stencil Graffiti gets a tribute in this book showcasing the work of the most prominent and important stencil artists working today. Author and U.K.-based graphic artist Tristan Manco gives a brief history of the form (whose origins he traces to the political street stencils of Fascist Italy and other Southern European and Latin American movements), then spotlights artists like Thomas Baumgertel, whose signature bananas decorate surfaces all over Cologne; Miss-Tic, creator of sultry female figures ubiquitous in Paris; British parodist Bansky, who got his start in "the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s" and other, mostly European talents.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

City streets abound with billboards, posters, and corporate advertising that almost invite a subversive response ...and increasingly are getting one. Many of today's graffiti artists have adopted the stencil and spray can, and are using the street as a giant creative forum for their arresting artwork. "The image," says San Diego artist Shepard Fairey, "is integrated with the texture of the street." This book showcases the work of the originators, the innovators, and the new generation who, as UK artist Nylon puts it, are "breathing life into derelict spaces." Stencil graffiti is beginning to filter off the street too, as artists are inspired to use stencils on canvas, clothing, and metal. Tristan Manco has chosen over 400 of the most visually exuberant, subtle, and creative examples of the genre from cities all over the world. With subject matter ranging from the political to the poetic, from the funky to the frankly curious, stencil graffiti is graphic innovation on an international scale. Inspirational in form and content, this book is an essential record for everyone with an interest in design or in contemporary urban culture. 405 illustrations, 400 in color.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; illustrated edition edition (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500283427
• ISBN-13: 978-0500283424
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #257,554 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Handsome book; not too deep, February 23, 2003

By	W. Revis (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For someone who is simply interested in seeing full color photos of stencil graffiti then Manco's book would be a great purchase. Manco profiles key artist from around the world as well as touching lightly on stencil and graffiti history (Information which is readily available else where both online and in print.) As an aside, the book does speak briefly on the philosophy of graffiti in the urban landscape.

Sadly the book is little more than a nice looking coffee table book. Artist looking for a guidebook or text that speaks more about the technical aspects of stencil graffiti should look elsewhere. As it is the book is an interesting (though not too informative) slide show of street art.

Still, it's a good purchase for fans of the art form or those who are interested in street pop art.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Book lacks depth, August 16, 2003

By	AIR33.ORG (Toronto, Ontario) - See all my reviews

This book is being reviewed quite heavily these days and after reviewing it myself, I can only conclude that this is because of the Publishers' credentials in publishing books on street art. I found that this book fell short on my expectations, even though much of the material was interesting. While it was enlightening to read the brief articles on the history of stencil graffiti, and how stenciling started back to 22,000 in cave paintings, the book quickly lost steam. Many of the artists featured here are well known, however there are many photos featuring industrial uses of stencils which neither are graffiti art, stencil graffiti or art in any type of form. This really detracted form what I assumed the book was featuring. Most of the interesting features were on European artists such as the "bananensprayer" in Cologne, Germany, or Bansky who mixed political satire with his various works. Although many stencil artists are features from all over Europe, and the United States as well as a whole page spread of works from Morocco, I really missed the interviews which should have accompanied these images. While I would not purchase the book for my personal collection, many of the photos showcased the dizzying array of effects which were possible to achieve with something as simple as a stencil.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There is one book that tops it, August 25, 2006

By	Erik J. Hoff "Dr. Strange" (IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Its a great book, but Stencil Pirates is better.