Jean-Michel Basquiat "Large Drawings"
Stellan Holm Gallery
This event has ended.
Stellan Holm Gallery presents Large Drawings, an exhibition featuring a series of works on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). This exhibition is one of few to have ever highlighted this early series of large-scale drawings by Basquiat.
Large Drawings features seven works on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat, executed using oilstick on paper and paperboard in the format of 60 x 40 inches, completed between the years of 1981 and 1982. Drawing was a constant activity for Basquiat, who made no hierarchical difference between the mediums of painting and drawing. His drawings possess a raw energy and potency that undoubtedly rival that of his canvases.
The human figure and face are central to the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, who frequently explored the philosophical and spiritual nature of the human condition. His early drawings represent, almost exclusively, bold and vigorous portrayals of frontal, flat, stick figures and mask-like faces. These figures often reveal skeletons and internal organs, their skulls containing hollowed eye-sockets and bared teeth. These fierce anatomical and skeletal references evoke questions regarding both the vitality and the mortality of human life. In addition, these figures and faces are often read as representations, caricatures and projections of the artist himself (unless otherwise stated). They are also frequently interpreted as depictions of the 'griot', a supernatural priest or shaman revered in many African and Caribbean cultures. In many ways this second comparison again reflects back to the role of the artist, as a person who possesses similar supernatural talents and insights into the world.
The instantly recognizable visual language of Jean-Michel Basquiat appears in frenetic, improvised graphic markings, reminiscent of the chaotic urban environment of New York City, enveloped in graffiti and sidewalk chalk. The physicality of mark making and the power of gesture serve to express the artist's own psychological fervor, and perhaps even an outpouring of rebellious anxiety. In Jean-Michel Basquiat's own words, the subjects of his works are "royalty, heroism, and the streets," all of which are beautifully revealed within this series of large drawings.
[Image: Jean-Michel Basquiat "Self Portrait with Suzanne" (1982) oil stick on paper 152.4 x 101.6 cm]
Media
Schedule
from November 03, 2009 to December 05, 2009