In 1982, Jean-Michel painted “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Derelict,” a three-part piece on wood panel that features at its rightmost panel an expressive face, teeth exposed, exuding raw and intense emotion.
Angelica Villa of Art News writes,
“The painting also loosely alludes to Basquiat’s own stardown and contains death-related imagery. The word Morte is written at the bottom of the painting’s middle panel over a drawing of a cross. In another section, an outlined crown – a recurring motif in Basquiat’s work – appears. The painting’s triptych format has been considered a reference to Northern Renaissance painting.”
Artwork: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Derelict, (1982)
