Piece (graffiti)

Pieces tend to be large, with multi-coloured fills and outlines. They often incorporate highlights, shadows, and a background, and may use extensions on letter forms, 3D effects, Because of their complexity and large size, pieces usually take a significant amount of time to plan and paint and therefore are often found on legal walls. Illegal pieces tend to be found in less crowded spaces such as train yards, tunnels, drains, rooftops, and walls facing train tracks. Many people unfamiliar with graffiti forms can find it difficult to distinguish the letters in more elaborate pieces. Some writers choose to sign their pieces with personal and crew tags. == History ==

Pieces were first observed in the 1980s on trains in the New York Subway, which caused the metro to stop dispatching trains with painted carriages. This instead had the unintended effect of writers opting instead to paint pieces on city walls. Pieces are more likely to be considered a "true" art form by people outside of the graffiti community. With the rise of commercial graffiti since the late 2000s, legal pieces are sometimes commissioned by local businesses as promotion, or by local councils with the intention of discouraging less appreciated forms of graffiti such as tags, given that many writers will not go over another artist's work. == Popular culture ==

Art galleries may feature pieces, either directly on canvas or in photography. Critics say that pieces originally in the street then put in galleries have their context and function removed, and recontexualise a piece from being public communication to one-way communication of those more privileged. Pieces seen in public areas like streets have been shown to have a stronger emotional value for viewers than when seen in a museum. Areas with large amounts of elaborate pieces can become tourist attractions such as Hosier Lane in Melbourne, which are advocated by tourism groups despite the pieces being illegal. == References ==