Book immortalizes NY murals, tags

"An exuberant burst of color suddenly appeared on this ghostly street in an otherwise drab neighborhood. It stopped me in my tracks," writes Peter Rosenstein, author of the new book Tattooed Walls, of his life-changing experience with a graffiti mural on the Lower East Side of Manhattan over a decade ago.

Since then, Rosenstein has made it his mission to document the expansive and ever-changing world of street art in New York. "As I stood back and admired the colors and composition, I could not help but lament the transient nature of murals," Rosenstein said.

Tattooed Walls contains over a hundred color photographs of graffiti, ranging from images on a small section of a wall, to huge murals stretching many blocks.

The pictures in this book are the result of fifteen years' worth of travel to the Bronx, Harlem, Spanish Harlem, the Lower East Side, the East Village and Brooklyn.

Each photograph has a caption explaining the context or significance of the mural written by Argentine-born journalist, actor and art director Isabel Bau Madden.

In addition to the photographs, the book features an interview with legendary artist and political activist James De La Vega, a commentary from the artist Chico and a foreword by artist and gallery owner Stefan Eins, one of the first in the broader art world to recognize and promote graffiti as a legitimate art form.

These writings go a long way to explaining the current state of graffiti as art and illustrating the mentality and passion of those who make it their way of life. However, the main focus of Tattooed Walls is definitely the art, and here the book shines.

Rosenstein has had plenty of practice putting street art on film, and it shows. Somehow, he is able to capture not only the image of the mural, but the emotion and meaning the artist put into it as well.

In addition to the simple tags used to claim turf, the art contains memorials to fallen loved ones, religious expression, warnings to police and messages of political unrest. These artists serve as the spokesmen for their respective cultures.

The styles used by these street artists range from cartoon to abstract to trompe l'oeil, a technique meaning "deceives the eye" that dates back several centuries.

Tattooed Walls is particularly well-suited as a coffee table conversation starter. However, to leave it at that would be an understatement. This book is an anthology of an art form that few people experience and even fewer appreciate.

Furthermore, it is an anthology of short-lived works, most of which have already been destroyed or replaced. In addition, it is a visual story about the people living in these areas: their cultures, beliefs, passions and fears. The book is a must-have for anyone interested in graffiti or urban culture.