Jean-Michel Basquiat was a African American graffiti artist from New York City. He was a key figure in the Neo-expressionist movement of the late 20th century and developed a style that grew to largely define urban African Americans during the late 80's and early 90's. Growing up in a household which bore the burden of nearly all major ills within the African American community, his work largely reflected that experience. A talented artist since childhood, he became a celebrated street artist and soon formal painter as a young man. Basquiat’s prime source of inspiration was the famed medical illustration book, Grey's Anatomy which was given to him as a child during a hospital stay following a car accident. Through reading the book, he became fascinated with human anatomy, most specifically, internal organs, and the head. As a child, pop culture and music were his escape from reality; he copied cartoons found in Mad Magazine and doodled in the style of Alfred Hitchcock. As an angst filled teen, graffiti was an outlet for him, a place to release his anger and speak his voice. In his mind, street art was not something confined to criminals and vandals, as he proved, it is a valid venue for expression and can often beautify and enhance the place at which it exists.
His artistic roots were in the South Bronx and Harlem, where a colorful new urban musical style was emerging- hip hop. Basquiat and hip-hop were a perfect combination, and soon his success there brought him into the downtown/SOHO gallery world. He was able to toe the line between both the black and white audience, maintaining his street cred while becoming very successful. Basquiat always believed he would be famous. He wanted his art to be important, but achieving celebrity was also a stated goal of his. Basquiat's greatest influence was Andy Warhol, so much so that he modeled his career after Andy's. As he rose to fame in New York, he eventually met Warhol, befriended him, and formed a long lasting artistic partnership. Basquiat even lived (and tragically died) in a New York apartment building owned by Warhol.
Basquiat’s impact on art and pop culture is not subtle. Like any successful business, Basquiat was responding to the high demand for his work, which allowed him to paint with rapid virtuosity. He loved to paint, but he also loved the fame, and these two loves kept the other burning white hot. In his short lifetime he was able to achieve both critical and commercial success, becoming the biggest celebrity in American Art. In his twenties, a painting of his sold at Christie's for $19,000, he appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine, and had gallery shows on 3 continents. His most well known tag, a simple 3 pronged crown, is still seen in graffiti imagery today. A perfect example of his mainstreaming of street art can be seen in the opening credits of The Cosby Show, which uses Basquiat's unmistakable painting style in a backdrop as well as his signature handwriting. He paved the way for the careers of artists like white street artist Keith Harring, urban underdog painter Justin Bua, and international graffiti phantom, Banksy. His celebrated rise to the top was cut short, much like many of his pop idols, at the cursed age of 27. Basquiat's life can ironically be described by the exact thing that took it away- a speedball.
- Jean-Michel Basquiat (b. 1960)
- Charles I, 1982
- Acrylic and Crayon on Canvas
- 198 x 158 cm
A common theme in the work of painter Jean-Michel Basquiat is abstracting modern social problems, particularly those within the African-American community. One of the worst products of the modern urban condition is gang activity. Although never associated with a gang, as a poor black child, graffiti artist, and citizen of New York City during the 1970's, Basquiat was no doubt witness to heavy gang activity. Gangs are often a refuge for disadvantaged youth seeking community and purpose. Their basic operation and culture is fairly straightforward and well understood; most gangs are involved in an illegal business of some sort, they have a hierarchical command structure, and control a certain territory. They use symbols, vocabulary, and imagery to identify themselves and communicate. Given that that they are lawbreakers by nature, they do not have police protection of their business. Crimes committed against a gang are thus handled by the gang itself, often violently. Basquiat explores the internal world of gangs in a painting on display at the Bellevue College Gallery Space; Charles I.
The piece is in line with the aesthetic of Basquiat; appearing chaotic and spontaneous, with heavy handed presentation of the subject matter. The canvas is divided into three columns, much like territories. Smattered about the canvas are stylized tags, some appearing freshly painted, others painted over existing tags, some even scribbled over, suggestive of the turf wars between gangs. The painting is composed of only 5 basic colors; yellow- the color of the Satan Disciples, blue- the color of the Crips, orange- the color of the Peurto Rican Stones, and black, and white. The upper right hand corner of the painting contains the word “opera,” preceded by what appears to be a one cent coin. This is likely a reference to the 1928 epic theatre piece The Three Penny Opera, a musical written by Bertolt Brecth and Kurt Weil. The story of the musical focuses on the character Macheath, a criminal who has married a crime boss's daughter and the conflicting connections each of these men have within the local police force. Macheath later became emboldened in a great number of pop and jazz tunes, as Mack the Knife. The posters for this musical and set design of the original play bare strong resemblance to Basquiat's work, although the comparison has never been formally declared. Charles I also makes reference to the Cherokee Indian Tribe, a once thriving society, slowly pushed out of their own territory, corrupted by outside forces, their leaders eventually working with the enemy, negotiating for the least awful fate for their people. The downfall of a gang follows a similar arch as that of the Cherokee. Above the word Cherokee, are four feathers, which were used in that tribe to signify many things, including a high ranking person when worn, and unity against an enemy when hung in a doorway. In the upper left hand of the painting is the word “Thor,” a reference to the hammer wielding god of thunder. On his hammer appeared a swastika, perhaps the most easily recognized symbol of the 20th century. Widely used by the Nazis, a political movement born out of struggle that set to take over the world by whatever means necessary. The association between modern gang culture and the Nazis is very clear; here, Basquit uses Thor as that bridge. Another political allusion is made on what appears to be a tombstone in the top center column; a cross and the dates 1951-1953 are scrawled across a monolith. This is perhaps reference to the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, wherein US and British militaries successfully ousted Mohammad Mosaddegh, the leader of Iran following his 1951 election and subsequent nationalization of the oil industry. In other words, 2 gangs bring down their enemy to keep themselves in control of a market.
Assassination is another theme in Charles I, seen not only in the tombstone, but in the gallows, the coffin, and the many crowns. Several halos also appear in the painting, and carry dual meaning. Not only do they atop one's head after death, but they atop a leader's head before death, a target. A stylized arrow also appears on the painting, suggesting a wandering movement to the top, then an eventual and sudden downfall. To drive the point home, Basquiat as painted the phrase “most young kings get their heads cut off” in the lower right corner of the painting. After the loss of a fellow gang member, other members close to the fallen solider often have a tear tattoo'd under an eye- or so the story goes. A large blue droplet is painted in the left column, likely a reference to this tradition. The painting even takes it's name from the beheaded British King, whose power grabbing blunders led to two civil wars under his reign- both of which, he lost. Perhaps the most striking piece of gang reference Basquiat makes is in his use of numbers. It is well known that gangs use police code in their language, most notable 187- the police code for homicide. The number 193 is used in Charles I- the police code for involuntary manslaughter, as well as the code for illegal possession of a weapon, 94, is scrawled across the canvas .
Gangs are obviosly a horrible problem in modern America, and they exist because of flaws in our social structure and greater political system- perhaps why the references in the piece stretch so broadly into politics. Without resorting to open faced criticism, Basquiat simply presents the story of where we are now and how we got here. How we fix it is up to us.
