Description

Book Synopsis
Cholo Writing is the 20th century''s oldest form of graffiti, a Mexican-American phenomenon evident in Los Angeles long before the appearance of tags and pieces in the late 1960s New York. It has had a major influence on the visual expressions of Californian popular culture, including the lowrider, surf, skate and hip-hop movements. Placas are territorial inscriptions created to define a gang''s turf, a genuine, constantly evolving urban calligraphy with strict codes used by Latino gangs for street writing since the late 1930s. Here, the aesthetic evolution of Cholo Writing is documented and the influence of blackletter typefaces and calligraphic models such as Old English is traced through two collections of photographs. One by Californian Howard Gribble, who photographed Chicano gang graffiti over a wide geographic area in the early 1970s, and one by French graphic designer and writer Francois Chastanet, who traveled to the same Los Angeles neighborhoods in 2008 to document early 21s

Cholo Writing

    Product form

    A Hardback by Francois Chastanet

    £21.24

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £24.99 – you save £3.75 (15%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Fri 4 Sep 2026.

    1 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Cholo Writing by Francois Chastanet

      Book details

      Published 6/27/2024
      ISBN-13 9789188369857
      978-9188369857
      ISBN-10 9188369854

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Cholo Writing is the 20th century''s oldest form of graffiti, a Mexican-American phenomenon evident in Los Angeles long before the appearance of tags and pieces in the late 1960s New York. It has had a major influence on the visual expressions of Californian popular culture, including the lowrider, surf, skate and hip-hop movements. Placas are territorial inscriptions created to define a gang''s turf, a genuine, constantly evolving urban calligraphy with strict codes used by Latino gangs for street writing since the late 1930s. Here, the aesthetic evolution of Cholo Writing is documented and the influence of blackletter typefaces and calligraphic models such as Old English is traced through two collections of photographs. One by Californian Howard Gribble, who photographed Chicano gang graffiti over a wide geographic area in the early 1970s, and one by French graphic designer and writer Francois Chastanet, who traveled to the same Los Angeles neighborhoods in 2008 to document early 21s

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account