In the second painting, it is the human figure that takes the foreground - or rather, a the human figure as death, staring out at us in a distraught manner, reeking of death yet simultaneously posing in a gesture that is full of life. It is Basquiat's unique, rhythmic style that makes this painting so special. I would even go so far as to argue that, rather than considering Basquiat's style from the vantage point of earlier movements (i.e. Abstract Expressionism and graffiti art), it is perhaps more appropriate to locate those qualities that make a Basquiat. His signature style seems to be based largely on the interplay of lines, with smudges and stains of paint occasionally smearing the background, as in this second painting. But Basquiat's painting refutes the "all over" gesturality of Pollock or the contrived messiness of de Kooning in his efforts at balancing received images (from culture) and his natural inclinations to doodle and evoke ambiguous messages aimed at ultimately disrupting our sense of security. The world that Basquiat's star rose in, 1980s America, was an increasingly uncertain place. What is more, much has been written about Basquiat's own uncertainties as an artist and a human being. He came of age during a time when America had still not come to terms with its racist past, and the star treatment that he was given in the market-driven art world of the '80s in New York was...
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