Jean-Michel Basquiat is hands down my favorite artist of all time. In his very short life time, he went from living on the streets, to becoming one of the most important and impactful artists of the 20th century. To this day, his work continues to influence and inspire artists and enthusiasts from all over the world, sparking discussion around race, identity, and inclusion. Basquiat’s work was so revolutionary because it highlighted injustices in society at a time when this was something people either overlooked or didn’t want to face. His work was also very unique aesthetics wise. He added raw emotion to his paintings and drawings by implementing complex layers of typography, symbols, and vibrant colors. All of this together created an emerging, distinctive visual language that challenged the traditional norms of New York’s art scene and abroad.
So much of why I draw and paint has a lot to do with Basquiat’s enduring legacy and profound impact. I’m heavily influenced by his prolific body of work and lived experience. He used visual art to push boundaries and brought to the forefront critical social issues that needed to be confronted. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work will endure through the ages as some of the most profound, powerful, vivid representation of an entire era.
Thank you for posting about this artist — Jean-Michel Basquiat. He was so young when he realized his art and visual language, was so ambitious and clear in his power. I was born around the same time, was a ferocious fan of all art, and at the time I did not understand at all why he was so admired. I misunderstood his rawness as immaturity, and I did not understand the meaning of his technicque and images — I was blind to the meaning of direct honesty, youthful energy, speed, anti-commerical/anti-product, and only as a much older person with more experience crafting visual messaging did I understand the method and meaning of the message to the world.
I also wonder if I was too protected as a younger person in USA/NYC, and was blind to his message. I have seen this happen in many ways: now I have empathy and patience for people with cultural blindness, but not tolerance of the blindness, if that makes sense.