MOLDED LIKE CLAY: JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
Photo: B. Price; Section of “Untitled (Cadmium), 1984,” at High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA.
MOLDED LIKE CLAY is a series of posts where I pull the curtain back a little on what has shaped my style, both in art and life. It starts with a personal anecdote, followed by a brief description of the subject, then a breakdown of how the subject shaped me. To round things out, I include links for further avenues of research in case you’d like to take a deeper dive on the subject. Enjoy!
During my last year of art school (way back in 2002), my art history instructor tasked us with creating a museum exhibition as a group. she gave us free rein to pick the artist and venue, but we had to build a 3D model of the exhibition as part of our final grade.
I knew I wanted to avoid the classics like Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, et al, as I wanted to learn about someone I hadn’t yet known. When we were researching artists, I came across Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work, and was immediately enamored. The group agreed, and we chose the Guggenheim Soho as our venue.
My parents were visiting NYC at the time, so I had them walk the actual space and provide photos and crude measurements. The final product ended up being pretty awesome, and I wish I still had photos of it. Alas, it disappeared into the ether of that blurry time in my life.
A Brief History
So, who was Jean-Michel Basquiat? He was a street artist in NYC who blew up in the art world during the early 1980s. His style was born from graffiti, tagging trains and walls in the city with Keith Haring and friends. His art was at times crude, thought provoking, and layered significantly, and it quickly gained the attention of Andy Warhol. He died of a heroine overdose in 1988 at the age of 27.
The Effects
I was drawn to Basquiat’s work immediately. His pieces are full of chaos - layers upon layers upon layers of imagery, text and colors that make multiple views an adventure of noticing new things. It’s at times oversimplified, frenetic, frantic, and humorous. His pieces were commentary of the NYC streets at a time when it was a really tough place to live.
Modern art and graffiti aren’t everyones’ cups of tea, but JMB’s work speaks to me deeply.
Further Reading
MOMA: Jean-Michel Basquiat
MOMA’s info page about JMB’s life, as well as the pieces they have.
Jean-Michel Basquiat 40th Edition
A beautiful edition full of reproductions of his work, including notebook sketches, drawings, etc.
Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks
High Museum of Art’s exhibition on JMB in 2016.
Basquiat
A 1996 biographical dramatization starring Jeffrey Wright as JMB (and an excellent turn by David Bowie as Andy Warhol).
