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.
Nebesko plavo platno rasporeno ogromnom lobanjom. Zubi ogoljeni kroz visceralne nanose ulja i boje u spreju. Godine 2017, ovo neimenovano umetničko delo je prodato na aukciji za više od 110 miliona dolara. Ali nije u pitanju delo nekog starog majstora. Ovi genijalni potezi pripadaju 21-godišnjem crncu iz Bruklina, Žanu-Mišelu Baskijatu, jednom od najharizmazičnijih američkih slikara sa trenutno najskuplje prodatim delom.
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.
Rođen 1960. godine od oca sa Havaja i majke iz Portorika, Baskijat je proveo detinjstvo baveći se umetnošću i nestašlucima u Borem Hilu. Mada nikada nije išao u umetničku školu, učio je lutajući po njujorškim galerijama i slušajući muziku koju je njegov otac puštao kod kuće. Crpeo je inspiraciju iz neočekivanih izvora
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.
i škrabao svoje verzije karikatura, stripova i biblijskih scena na starom papiru iz očeve kancelarije. Ali verovatno je medicinska enciklopedija imala najjači uticaj na Baskijata. Kada je mladog Žan-Mišela udario automobil, majka mu je donela primerak „Grejove anatomije“ u bolnicu. Ovo je podstaklo doživotnu fascinaciju anatomijom koja se kasnije ispoljila kroz lobanje, žile i utrobe u njegovom radu, a koji često istražuje snagu i ranjivost marginalizovanih tela.
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.
U 17. godini je krenuo u svoj prvi pohod na umetnički svet sa drugom Alom Dijazom. Bojama u spreju su ostavljali zagonetne izjave i simbole po celom Donjem Menhetnu, potpisane misterioznim pseudonimom SAMO. Ove duhovite, inteligentne i buntovne izjave strateški su razasuli širom umetničke scene Sohoa. Nakon što se razotkrio kao umetnik, Baskijat je iskoristio uspeh SAMO-a da bi stupio na scenu, pa je prodavao razglednice, svirao u klubovima sa svojim avangardnim bendom i hrabro tražio svoje heroje.
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.
U 21. godini se u potpunosti okrenuo slikanju. Njegov proces je bio neka vrsta proračunate improvizacije. Kao pisci generacije bit koji su stvarali radove tako što bi cepali i ponovo sastavljali delove teksta, Baskijat je koristio slične tehnike rezanja kako bi pomešao svoje materijale. Kada nije mogao da priušti platna, pravio ih je od bačenih komada drveta koje bi pronašao na ulici. Koristio je štap za ulje, bojice, sprej i olovku i izvlačio citate iz menija, stripova i udžbenika
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.
koje je držao otvorene na podu ateljea. Držao je te izvore otvorene na podu svog ateljea i često radio na više projekata istovremeno. Kroz unošenje delova anatomije, izmenjenih istorijskih scena i lobanja presađenih iz klasičnih scena mrtve prirode, Baskijat je ujedno preuredio današnja iskustva i istoriju umetnosti u inventivni vizuelni jezik. Radio je kao da unosi sebe u nasleđe umetnika od kojih je pozajmljivao, stvarajući kolaže koji su podjednako bili u interakciji sa istorijom umetnosti kao i međusobno. Na primer, „Tusen-Luvertir naspram Savonarole“ i „Neotkriveni genije delte Misisipija“ nude dve različite vizije istorijskih i savremenih tema kojima se Baskijat bavio. Ali ponavljaju detalje jedno drugog, kao što je glava koja se javlja ponovo na slici „PPCD“. Svi ovi delovi sačinjavaju mrežu koja nudi fizički dokaz
These chaotic canvases won rapid acclaim and attention.
Baskijiatovog nemirnog i plodnog uma.
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.
Ova haotična platna brzo su zadobila priznanje i pažnju. Ali, uprkos sve većoj publici mejnstrima, Baskijat je insistirao na prikazivanju izazovnih tema identiteta i ugnjatavanja. Marginalizovane figure zauzimaju centralno mesto, kao što su zatvorenici, kuvari i domari. Njegova opsesija telima, istorijom i predstavljanjem može se naći u delima koja se pozivaju na atlantsku trgovinu robljem i istoriju Afrike,
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.
kao i dela koji se fokusiraju na savremena pitanja vezana za rasu. Za manje od deset godina, Baskijat je stvorio hiljade slika i crteža, kao i skulptura, fragmenata poezije i muzike. Njegovo stvaralaštvo je ubrzano raslo, kao i njegov meteorski uspon do slave, ali su njegov život i rad tragično skraćeni kada je umro u 27. godini od predoziranja drogom. Nakon njegove smrti, vrednost Baskijatovih dela je samo porasla, ali su energija i dar njegovih radova imali znatno veći uticaj od njihove finansijske vrednosti. Danas je njegov uticaj prisutan oko nas u muzici, poeziji, modi i filmu, a njegova umetnost i dalje ima moć da šokira, inspiriše i uđe nam pod kožu.