Comments on: Life Before Banksy – Blek Le Rat

By: admin

admin — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:28:07 +0000

Thanks – did they have a name? Paul

By: Smartboy

Smartboy — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:10:26 +0000

Although Banksy didn’t invent stencil graffiti it is important to understand what he did with it. Blek Le Rat does deserve greater credit for his work and is acknowledged by Banksy for his influence.

But before any of these guys there was a bunch of art students who were creating stencil graffiti in the mid 1970’s in Hartlepool in North East England. Although they were not established artists, they were some of the first to develop this medium. Like any graffiti, it had to be an unlawful act to give an edge but these guys were organised. Intricate stencils with an array of spray colours allowed up to 5 or more artworks. They were reported in the Northern Echo about 1975 or 1976.

I definitely don’t want to take anything away from the excellent work of Blek Le Rat but I feel these guys deserve a small mention.

By: Graffiti Saves Lives | Indoor Street Art by Paul Baines

Graffiti Saves Lives | Indoor Street Art by Paul Baines — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:04:27 +0000

[...] role call for the event is astounding including works by D*Face, Blek Le Rat (Godfather of Graffiti), Pure Evil and Pete Fowler amongst others! Every piece sold at the auction [...]

By: admin

admin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:39:49 +0000

Hey thanks for the comment Jzzy

By: jzzy1

jzzy1 — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:31:37 +0000

sweet blog. i am loving the styles and fresh colors. if you are looking for diy resources and info on street art, stencil and graffiti tips, tricks, techniques and secrets, check out my site here: http://tr.im/2k5j

By: admin

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:14:03 +0000

Don’t worry Bomchell, your secret is safe with me, cool points in the post

By: Bombchell in Atlanta

Bombchell in Atlanta — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:56:18 +0000

Wow, thanks for the info. Banksy is great, and lol it's funny if people think he "invented" stenciling. Few people I know know who Banksy is, now I can sound utterly cool knowing who Blek Le Rat is. Lol i just lost cool points for admitting all. Bombchell in Atlanta’s last blog post..LA Pictures

By: Dead C

Dead C — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:26:29 +0000

He actually had a book of his work released this year "Blek Le Rat: Getting Through the Walls" and there was recently a Juxtapoz interview with him as well. One thing that should be mentioned is that Banksy has openly credited Blek Le Rat as a pioneer and an influence on his work, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't help to distribute acknowledgement and shine a spotlight on artists that don't get the attention that they deserve. Thanks for posting something about him. Dead C’s last blog post..The Prog Prince: Squarepusher’s “Just a Souvenir”