GRAFFITI HISTORY: SPRAY CANS

You want to write graffiti? Well, there are only three things you need : time, space, and of course some colour. The development of the modern spray can is closely linked to the invention of graffiti - although, at first, this pressure vessel was never intended for the purpose of making art. It has been around for about one hundred years, and it's roots lie in something you might not expect.

It all started back in the 1920´s, when a norwegian engineer by the name of Erik Andreas Rotheim invented and patented a procedure to hose and spread liquids. While searching for an easy way to wax his skis, he simply combined a propellant gas with the desired liquid in a pressure vessel with a ventile, and immediately noticed the countless applications of his new invention.

While looking for an easy way to transport and distribute insecticides, mainly to prevent soldiers from getting malaria and other diseases carried by insects, the american military then came across Rotheims' invention and improved it in many ways. Using aluminium and enhancing the ventile, the can now was not only very light, but also super easy to use.

After world war II, the spray can technology then got picked up by a man called Ed Seymour, who was the owner of a paint company. Looking for the simplest method to paint car radiators, his wife suggested mixing the propellant gas with the desired pigments - the birth of the paint can. This invention turned out to be very popular. Soon, Ed Seymours company started mass producing these cans. Other big companies from the home-furnishing or the automotive industry pushed into the market, and in 1973, not even twenty years after the first invention of the paint can, the industry produced 270 million paint cans annually.

Now this is where things got interesting: With the spray cans being widely available in big numbers and also very light, they became the target of students and activists, who stole them to write on cardboards which they used for political protest. At around the same time, the first tags popped up, and the artists soon noticed the advantages of the easy to carry (and easy to steal) spray can. Working as a paintbrush and paint at the same time, the cans simplified the artists workflow. Also, they worked well on subway cars and building materials, the paint dried quickly, and it was possible to paint huge surfaces in no time. It was the perfect tool for rebellion and protest - and it took graffiti to another level: with this powerful new tool, simple tags soon evolved into huge pieces, characters and bombings.

As a reaction to this development and the rising number of active graffiti artists, european companies started to produce cans that were tailored to the needs of the graffiti community - in contrast to american companies, which, because of public outcries and laws to restrict spray can sales to teenagers, refused to tap into the graffiti-artist market. Today, the cans manufactured by european companies are considered the best by many writers - Montana, based in Spain, or Molotow from Germany are in high demand. And, thanks to smart marketing moves like sponsoring contests and artists, their popularity is growing each day.

Here you can see how a Montana can is produced today:

Today, spray cans are elaborated down to the last detail: With different caps, artists are able to paint with insane amounts of detail, or to cover a whole subway car in only a few minutes. There are sizes and colours for every occasion and every imaginable artwork. And it all started with a guy who was trying to wax his skies.

We will dive into the history of graffiti in general in further magazine features on graf‌f‌funk.com.