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30 Years of Graffiti Chipped Off a Wall Reveals Colorful Layers of Decades-Old Art

Ever look at a graffiti wall and wonder what would happen if you scraped off a bit of paint? Well, Imgur user Paul De Graaf saved you the trouble by chipping away at a wall of graffiti in the Netherlands. This is what he found.

Over 30 years of paint caused an incredibly colorful stratification that is almost like reading the rings on a tree trunk. The hardened layers of paint form a vivid timeline all the way back to the 1980s, when this space in the town of Nijmegen became a center of art and music. De Graaf has even cleverly created a visual look at history using the paint itself. In this case, walls really do talk.

Doornroosje is a graffiti hall of fame in the Netherlands. In the 1980s it was a hub for art and music.

graffiti hall of fame Doornroosje

Paul De Graaf decided to take a chip of paint off the graffiti wall to see what it looked like.

graffiti hall of fame Doornroosje

graffiti hall of fame paint

The results of 30 years of spray paint are stunning. Colorful layers of paint are like archeological markers on the wall.

old layers of spraypaint

old layers of spraypaint

graffiti hall of fame paint

old layers of spraypaint

He even made a clever timeline using the paint chip, just like using the rings of a tree trunk to mark time.

graffiti timeline

Paul De Graaf: Imgur
h/t: [Bored Panda]

All images via Paul De Graaf except where noted.

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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