The full face of this portrait covers the canvas completely, though the portrait itself is Expressionist in style, which all manner of strange objects combining together to produce the overall piece. This is entirely typical of Basquiat in general and he regularly made use of the human head in his work, normally as a means to communicating mortality when as a skull, or in other cases to represent different moods. In this Case features a more solid head with a single eye looking out in a menacing manner towards the left of the viewer. The teeth are elaborately decorated with touches of green and red paint, whilst the jaw is left relatively untouched, allowing the background tones of red to show through. There are some strange dial displays featured across the face which hold symbolic values, be it perhaps time. One must research many of Basquiat's artworks in order to understand the meanings of these different elements, as they are not always easy to decipher initially.
The painting overall is particularly bright, and enjoyably so. The white and red tones work brilliantly together, and the form is easily identifiable so many can find this work accessible even if the more subtle meanings are lost on them. This type of contemporary style is extremely popular with younger generations and in recent years there has been a growing interest in artists such as this, even though they passed away many decades ago. The rise in interest in the Afro-Caribbean communities across the western world has also led to a greater interest in this artist's work, with many curious as to how he managed to achieve so much success against all the odds. It must be remembered that he also experienced mental health issues and was also homeless at one point, making his eventual achievements quite extraordinary.
In this case combines some of the artist's signature elements, just perhaps without his famous crown logos. It is pleasing to see his work celebrated so widely today, as there is always something honourable about achievements in the face of societal hostilities as well as simply getting off to a touch start in life. Stories such as these are very real and can also help to inspire others from the Afro Caribbean communities, as well as others whose start in life is far from ideal. We have discussed his role within African American art in greater detail within this extensive article, as it is a crucial element to his overall life story and the legacy that he left behind which spread much further than just the boundaries of the modern art world.
