Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Philistines”, 1982, Acrylic and Crayon on Canvas, 183 x 312.5 cm.

“Philistines” is an example of Basquiat art that can be seen as an attack on the people that came to surround him, the definition of Philistine being a person who is unreceptive towards culture and the arts, while also having biblical references which were known to appear in the work of Basquiat.

“Philistines” was originally created for a show in 1982 at the Fun Factory, where prices were set deliberately low as a protest against what he considered the exploitation of his work. This incredible piece was sold for just $570 with Jean-Michel Basquiat receiving no money from the sales.

Jean Michel Basquiat

Jean Michel Basquiat, “Fallen Angel”, Acrylic and Oilstick on Canvas, 1981

Dominated by the figure of a large angel, rendered in staccatoed red, yellow and black lines, floating against a luminous blue background, “Fallen Angel” is a supreme example of Basquiat’s early artistic output. Paramount to the painting is the rapacious creativity and unrepentant vigor contained within each brushstroke.

The vivacious tonal qualities of the work represent a radical fusion of street drawing onto the Modernist canvas. The colors are not those of easel painting, obtained while learning a craft and constantly worked on. They are lively, swift colors of the street, both vibrant and fading, affixed and opposing. The unsophisticated, complex layers of paint and line contain an unrestrained primitivism that eschews high artistic conventions.