The inscription that would be on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s tombstone in my mind would be “May your afterlife be as bright as your drawings. As I studied this artist’s work, there was only one thought in my mind: how vibrant a palette of colors is used in his career (JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT the RADIANT CHILD, 2017). It is striking in its vividness and richness, just like his life.
Speaking about the personality of Jean-Michel Basquiat, it is necessary to note the period in which the artist worked, namely the 80s of the last century. When the world was changing, the perception of art was also changing (Cascone, 2021). More and more, humankind was leaving the accepted norms for art, and finding a new way to express themselves was necessary. So the avant-garde, a new movement in art, appeared.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s exceptional feature was his play with colors and images that are easy to remember and do not have to be so vivid, such as skulls. It is difficult to say how much the symbolism of heads and the human image is associated with the artist’s life (Brooklyn Museum: Basquiat, n.d.). Still, he showed that even such banal photos could be different, not like everything Jean-Michel Basquiat shows from the side of a unique person.
The most critical events in his life can be his acquaintance with Andy Warhol and participation in The Times Square Show, which made him realize what direction to develop. Among the people who changed his work can be attributed to the already mentioned artist Julian Schnabel (GALILEO, University System of Georgia, 2016). Both strongly inspired the young artist and showed a new kind of creativity. Jean-Michel Basquiat can be called one of the most influential artists of the 20th century because he changed the genre and showed how different art could be.
References
Brooklyn Museum: Basquiat. (n.d.). Www.brooklynmuseum.org.
Cascone, S. (2021).For the First Time, Basquiat’s Family Will Organize a Show of Rarely Seen Works by the Artist From Their Personal Collection. Artnet News.
GALILEO, University System of Georgia. (2016). Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning.
JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT THE RADIANT CHILD. (2017). Web.