Basquiat was highly interested in the human body and would frequently make use of it within his work, though not in the traditional sense of portraiture. He regularly used skulls to signify our own mortality, and would in other cases include single limbs or parts of the body but without the rest alongside it. In this case he creates something akin to a scientific textbook, with anatomical studies and labels for each element. There are five different diagrams in total, with ten to twenty text labels alongside each one. On top of all this detail he then adds a thin black outline of a circle with a slap of brown paint which hovers horizontally across the centre of the piece.
Sadly, it has proven to be a tough task in finding more information about Jesse, and therefore we are left without much explanation about the overall composition. We can only really refer to some of his other paintings from around this time and perhaps attempt to decipher the various diagrams and understand the overall meaning of this complex set of drawings.
A series of 150 lithographs were made from this original artwork and sold privately. Some of these items will come up for sale from time to time and are clearly more affordable than the original paintings from Basquiat's career which can now fetch many millions of dollars and continue to rise in value every year. Several of his artworks have been turned into limited edition series over the past two decades, normally being limited to 150 prints at the absolute most. The estate that represents the artist's interests will oversee this process and normally provide genuine items such as these with various documents for proof of authentication. There is also a stamp and signature regularly appended to the printed versions in order to ensure a control over the quality and correct source of these types of products.
