I really dig this Black Skull painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat. I don’t know a whole lot about Basquiat, but what I do know is fascinating and I LOVE his art. Black Skull is done with acrylic paint, oil stick and spray paint on canvas.

At a young age, his mother took him to art museums and enrolled him in art school. He was like a sponge, copying chemical compound diagrams, borrowed from his roommate’s textbooks, creating a clothing line from upcycled garments.

He started out painting the streets of NYC under the name SAMO, partnering with artist Al Diaz. He eventually put an end to SAMO, by painting SAMO is Dead all over Manhattan.

His work was Neo-expressive, activist art. I’m sure at the time it seemed disruptive, but it is clear that he had skills. Basquiat was not your ordinary vandal. By the early ’80s, he was exhibiting in museums and galleries all over the world.

Sadly, he became a member of the 27 club when he died of a drug overdose in 1988.

#art, #artist, #featuredart, #graffitiart, #streetart, #SAMO, #jeanmichelbasquiat, #basquiat