The theme of the Artwork
Most of his artworks reflected the opposition or tension between the rich and the poor, black and white, inner and outer experience. The tension and contrast reflect his mixed heritage and experiences of growing up in New York City and generally in America. The Painting creates an understanding of the cultural environment in which he lived. The view of the subcultural scenes in the Painting is oppositional to the conventional art market. The Painting establishes a dialogue with the more distant tradition such as abstract expressionism, minimalism and conceptualism.
Medium used
The artist used acrylic, oil paint stick and sprayed paint on canvas. He also used linen, metal, paper, markers, paper collage, crayon and color transfer on printed form, and canvas mounted on wood or an old door.
Current Location
The current location of the painting Techu- Anpu is in Zurich, in Switzerland, at Daros Collection.
Artists and Painting Related to the work of Jean Michel Basquiat
Some of the great paintings that are to the works of Jean Basquiat include SAMO, which is a graffiti artwork, Untitled (skull) and flexible. His painting flexible captures his most famous motifs: the griot and the venerable crown. Artists like AI Diaz are among the artists that were in relation with Basquiat.
Who Inspired him
In the early 1980s, Basquiat befriended Pop artist Andy Warhol with whom he had collaborations on a series of artworks. They produced great masterpieces that are still known up-to-date, such as Ten Punching Bags. Warhol’s role was mainly to paint; then, he would incorporate the skills of Jean Michel Basquiat, who would layer over his work. Jean Michel later became a great artist, featuring in newspapers such as the New York Times Magazine. His artworks made him so famous during his time, and he gained the title of the hot young American artist. Jean Michel drew so much inspiration from Warhol, not knowing that Warhol was taking advantage of him being a young and an amateur.
Those inspired by him
Even after his death, Basquiat still manages to inspire both new and old artists in the world today. They produce art drawn from his inspiration, or they directly reference his work: both painters, installation artists working with the gallery and graffiti. David Hewitt, Scott Haley, and Barb Sherin are some of the artists inspired by Basquiat. Artists from continents such as Asia AND Europe still cite their work as formative to their development. Musicians such as Shabaka Hutchings, Lex Amor and Kojey Radical have also praised the works of Basquiat.
