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.

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

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

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

Paul De Graaf: Imgur

h/t: [Bored Panda]

All images via Paul De Graaf except where noted.

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