Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Explosive Force Of The Streets

Description

An icon of 1980s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) first made his name under the graffiti tag “SAMO,” before establishing his studio practice and catapulting to fast fame at the age of 20. Although his career lasted barely a decade, he remains a cult figure of artistic social commentary, and a trailblazer in the mediation of graffiti and gallery art.Basquiat’s work drew upon diverse sources and media to create an original and urgent artistic vocabulary, biting with critique against structures of power and racism. His practice merged abstraction and figuration, poetry and painting, while his influences spanned Greek, Roman, and African art, French poetry, jazz,and the work of artistic contemporaries such as Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly. The results are vivid, visceral mixtures of words, African emblems, cartoonish figures, daubs of bold color, and beyond.This book presents Basquiat’s short but prolific career, his unique style, and his profound engagement with ever-relevant issues of integration and segregation, poverty and wealth. Review: Good if you don’t know about him at all and also good to keep his works around for quick glances - Good paper quality, good print. Basquiat ofcourse is a mind to sneak into. Book is detailed and insightful. Review: Exciting analysis of unusual artist - Well researched, from a seasoned writer who is an expert on Expression linked with Jackson Pollock, gives a detailed and nuanced analysis of Basquiat's paintings. A good introduction to the struggling youth's short life in new York who achieved fame by the age of gs.determination of paintin27. His analysis of the paintings and graffiti lay bare the artist's black roots and consciousness and his criticism of the dollar and market. Those interested in EXpressionism and the works of extraordinary artists with psychic problems will love him for his technique who use extraordinary techniques.