A sky blue canvas ripped open by an enormous skull. Teeth bared through visceral slashes of oil and spray-paint. In 2017, this untitled artwork was auctioned off for over 110 million dollars. But it’s not the work of some old master. These strokes of genius belong to 21 year old black Brooklynite Jean-Michel Basquiat – one of America’s most charismatic painters, and currently, its highest sold.
Kanvas biru langit terkoyak oleh tengkorak raksasa. Gigi terpampang di antara goresan menggugah cat minyak dan cat semprot. Di tahun 2017, karya tanpa judul ini dilelang dengan harga melebihi 110 juta dolar. Namun karya ini bukan dibuat oleh pelukis abad pertengahan. Goresan jenius ini milik pemuda kulit hitam berumur 21 tahun asal Brooklyn, Jean-Michel Basquiat – salah satu pelukis Amerika paling karismatik sekaligus pemegang rekor penjualan tertinggi saat ini.
Born in 1960 to a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat spent his childhood making art and mischief in Boerum Hill. While he never attended art school, he learned by wandering through New York galleries, and listening to the music his father played at home.
Lahir pada tahun 1960 dari ayah berkebangsaan Haiti dan ibu Puerto Riko, Masa kecil Basquiat di Boerum Hill dipenuhi oleh karya seni dan keonaran . Meski tidak pernah bersekolah seni, dia belajar melalui galeri-galeri di New York dan mendengarkan musik ayahnya di rumah.
He drew inspiration from unexpected places, scribbling his own versions of cartoons, comic books and biblical scenes on scrap paper from his father’s office. But it was a medical encyclopedia that arguably exerted the most powerful influence on Basquiat. When young Jean-Michael was hit by a car, his mother brought a copy of "Grey’s Anatomy" to his hospital bed. It ignited a lifelong fascination with anatomy that manifested in the skulls, sinew and guts of his later work – which frequently explores both the power and vulnerability of marginalized bodies.
Dia terinspirasi oleh hal-hal tidak terduga, menggambar kartun, komik, dan adegan alkitab versinya sendiri di kertas bekas dari kantor ayahnya. Namun dapat dikatakan bahwa sebuah ensiklopedia kedokteranlah yang berdampak besar pada Basquiat. Setelah Jean-Michael muda ditabrak sebuah mobil, ibunya membawakan buku "Grey's Anatomy" untuknya di rumah sakit. Kekagumannya terhadap tubuh manusia tumbuh, yang diwujudkan dalam bentuk tengkorak, urat, dan isi perut dalam karya-karya akhirnya - yang kerap mengeksplorasi kekuatan dan kerapuhan tubuh orang yang tersisihkan.
By 17, he launched his first foray into the art world with his friend Al Diaz. They spray painted cryptic statements and symbols all over Lower Manhattan, signed with the mysterious moniker SAMO. These humorous, profound, and rebellious declarations were strategically scattered throughout Soho’s art scene. And after revealing himself as the artist, Basquiat leveraged SAMO’s success to enter the scene himself; selling postcards, playing clubs with his avant-garde band, and boldly seeking out his heroes. By 21, he’d turned to painting full time.
Di umur 17 tahun, dia mencemplungkan diri ke dunia seni dengan temannya Al Diaz. Mereka menyemprotkan kalimat dan simbol misterius di seantero Lower Manhattan, yang ditandatangani dengan nama alias "SAMO". Deklarasi pemberontakan yang mendalam dan penuh humor ini secara strategis tersebar di sepanjang lokasi seni di Soho. Setelah pengungkapan dirinya sebagai sang seniman, Basquiat memanfaatkan kesuksesan SAMO untuk terjun ke dunia seni; menjual kartu pos, bermain band di kelab malam, dan memberanikan diri menemui idolanya. Di umur 21 tahun, dia menjadi pelukis penuh waktu.
His process was a sort of calculated improvisation. Like Beat writers who composed their work by shredding and reassembling scraps of writing, Basquiat used similar cut-up techniques to remix his materials. When he couldn't afford canvases, he fashioned them out of discarded wood he found on the street. He used oil stick, crayons, spray paint and pencil and pulled quotes from the menus, comic books and textbooks he kept open on the studio floor.
Proses seninya menyerupai improvisasi penuh perhitungan. Seperti penulis pada era Beat, yang menyusun karyanya dari tulisan yang dipotong dan disusun kembali, Basquiat menggunakan teknik potong serupa untuk mengolah materinya. Jika tidak mampu membeli kanvas, dia mengolah kayu yang dibuang untuk dijadikan kanvas. Ia menggunakan stik minyak, krayon, cat semprot, dan pensil serta mengambil kutipan dari menu, komik, dan buku teks yang selalu terbuka di lantai studionya.
He kept these sources open on his studio floor, often working on multiple projects at once. Pulling in splintered anatomy, reimagined historical scenes, and skulls transplanted from classical still-lives, Basquiat repurposed both present day experiences and art history into an inventive visual language. He worked as if inserting himself into the legacy of artists he borrowed from, producing collages that were just as much in conversation with art history as they were with each other. For instance, "Toussaint L’Overture versus Savonarola" and "Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta" offer two distinct visions of Basquiat’s historical and contemporary concerns. But they echo each other in the details, such as the reappearing head that also resurfaces in "PPCD." All these pieces form a network that offers physical evidence of Basquiat’s restless and prolific mind.
Sumber-sumber ini selalu ada di lantai studionya karena ia biasa mengerjakan beberapa karya bersamaan. Memadukan tubuh yang terurai, mereka ulang sejarah, dan tengkorak yang diambil dari lukisan benda mati, Basquiat mengubah pengalaman sehari-hari masa kini dan sejarah seni menjadi bahasa visual baru. Dia berkarya dengan memasukkan dirinya ke dalam warisan seniman pendahulu, menghasilkan kolase yang sejalan dengan sejarah seni maupun dengan satu sama lain. Sebagai contoh, "Toussaint L’Overture versus Savonarola" dan "Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta" menampilkan dua visi berbeda Basquiat atas isu lampau dan kontemporer. Namun detail dalam kedua lukisan itu saling menguatkan, seperti kemunculan berulang sosok kepala, yang juga muncul dalam lukisan "PPCD". Semua bagian-bagian ini menunjukkan bukti nyata atas pikiran Basquiat yang selalu bergejolak dan penuh ide.
These chaotic canvases won rapid acclaim and attention. But despite his increasingly mainstream audience, Basquiat insisted on depicting challenging themes of identity and oppression. Marginalized figures take center stage, such as prisoners, cooks and janitors. His obsession with bodies, history, and representation can be found in works evoking the Atlantic slave trade and African history, as well as pieces focusing on contemporary race relations.
Kanvas semrawut ini memenangkan banyak pujian dan penghargaan. Meskipun karyanya semakin diminati banyak orang, Basquiat tetap kukuh dengan tema yang rumit seperti identitas dan penindasan. Berpusat pada orang-orang tersisihkan: narapidana, tukang masak, pembersih. Obsesinya terhadap tubuh, sejarah, dan representasi tampak dalam karyanya tentang perdagangan budak Atlantik dan sejarah Afrika, serta dalam karyanya tentang hubungan antar ras di masa kini.
In less than a decade, Basquiat made thousands of paintings and drawings- along with sculpture, fragments of poetry and music. His output accelerated alongside his meteoric rise to fame, but his life and work were cut tragically short when he died from a drug overdose at the age of 27. After his death, Basquiat’s work only increased in value- but the energy and flair of his pieces have impacted much more than their financial worth. Today, his influence swirls around us in music, poetry, fashion and film- and his art retains the power to shock, inspire, and get under our skin.
Kurang dari satu dekade, Basquiat telah menciptakan ribuan lukisan dan gambar- beserta pahatan, bait puisi, serta musik. Karyanya membeludak seiring namanya yang melejit, namun hidup dan karyanya terhenti secara tragis saat ia meninggal dunia akibat overdosis pada umur 27 tahun. Setelah kematiannya, karya Basquiat semakin dihargai, tetapi daya dan pesona ciptaannya berdampak lebih besar daripada nilai uangnya. Sekarang, pengaruhnya ada di mana-mana, musik, puisi, mode, dan film- dan karyanya tak berhenti mengejutkan, mengilhami, dan mengusik pikiran kita.