Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was a prolific street artist with no formal training, had more than 2000 paintings, sculptures and mixed media works and an unknown amount of notebooks.

The book I’m writing about today, authored by Christopher D. Stackhouse, Franklin Sirmans and Henry Louis Gates Jr., was originally published in 2015.

Basquiat was best known for figurative works that integrated text and image with language being the medium that consistently appears in his art.

His notebooks show us how he recorded his engagement with life in NYC and the world.  They contain handwritten poems, lists, symbols, observations, drawings that seem to be the images he used in many of his later artworks.  The notebooks can be a starting point for examining Basquiat’s unique talent.

I can see that he was inspired by children’s drawings, comics, pop-art, advertising, historical art from African, Greek and Roman culture as well.

The thing to understand about Basquiat’s art was that he was breaking rules and his work aimed to undermine social hierarchies, pointing out racial inequalities.  It wasn’t received well by the art establishment of the time.

The book has an introductory essay by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. that considers Basquiat in context to African American history and American culture which I found informative.

As an artist I can appreciate the power of words, list making, symbolism and seeing his thought process and use of notes to develop his perspective.  I don’t see a lot of self-consciousness in his drawing or notes but an exploration of thoughts and ideas.  These drawings are not sketches for larger works or paintings but the exploration of his ideas.

When I think of my own art making process, I don’t make use of a lot of text or words within my art yet I do add text, thoughts or commentary in my own working notebooks or sketchbooks.  I can see how it might benefit me to take more time in exploring thoughts in my notebooks and sketchbooks as a way to clarify the message or direction of my own artwork.

Have you read this book or ever seen this artist’s works? Do you use text in your art or as part of your artistic exploration process? If you are a writer, do you use pictures or symbols to develop your new ideas? Feel free to share with me below.

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Multimedia Pioneer: Laurie Anderson

Inspiration can come from anywhere.  This week I want to take a moment to share a multimedia virtual reality piece by Laurie Anderson.  I was intrigued by the floating letters.  Please read on about this artist.

(*originally from NYTimes May 26, 2017) As a storyteller and performer, Ms. Anderson imagined a museum of her work might resemble a radio broadcasting station. That inspired the design of her glasswalled gallery, now to be her home away from her New York home. When she’s not in residency, you can listen to her recordings with headphones. Another gallery features her expressionistic charcoal drawings of her dog Lolabelle and visions of the Tibetan afterlife.
In a black-box gallery, white graffiti and drawings are scrawled across every plane of the room. There you can put on a virtual reality headset and lift off, tunneling through unfolding rooms with walls of her words. Drawings come to life and may turn into galaxies as Ms. Anderson’s voice fills your head with stories.

Virtual reality “does what I’ve always wanted to do as an artist from the time I’ve started, which is a kind of disembodiment,” Ms. Anderson said.  A second virtual experience puts you onto an airplane that peacefully disintegrates midair. As you drift through the heavens, reach for the floating Buddha or the copy of “Crime and Punishment” to trigger more storytelling. “It’s magic,” Ms. Anderson said. “You get to feel completely free.”

“The best thing in Ms. Anderson’s show is “The Chalkroom,” a gallery covered in raw, white-on-black graffiti that expands into a haunting multichambered journey if you use its virtual reality component; her indelible voice on audio serves as the guide. It establishes Ms. Anderson as one of the artists VR was invented for.” – New York Times

Video Chalkroom by Laurie Anderson, multimedia artist.

More on her work here:  https://laurieanderson.com/?portfolio=chalkroom

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Arms All Around, Chinese Ink, K.Turner

Short on Time? Make a Tiny Painting!

If time is hard to come by during this end of year rush, why not try some quick and tiny watercolor sketches?  Once you get started you’ll have a hard time stopping!  These little art pieces are such fun and there is no pressure to create a masterpiece.  These are great ways to experiment.

1. Cut out a mat board template 4”x3” to keep a consistent size.
2. Lightly draw a pencil line on your paper for the border
3. Paint whatever you like. Experiment with color, texture or composition.  Try inks, gesso or gouache as well.

It’s amazing how fast these little ones will pile up.  The best thing is when it’s a bad painting, you can just toss it, turn it over or collage with it and you haven’t wasted much time.

Have some fun with this little exercise and see how many you can get done in your spare time over the next month.  I’d love for you to share how this works for you.