Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
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Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#2I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#3I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
Read the associated text, the art is specifically and purposefully not meant to be "easy".
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#4I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
The best way to appreciate it is to learn the history and immerse yourself in the culture.
Contemporary art is not typically created for instant gratification or understanding but rather for an audience familiar with the world within which it sits.
Like Free Jazz or heavily peated whiskies there is a path into appreciation that isn't necessarily short. Also it just isn't for everyone. I love much of those things but struggle to get anything from contemporary dance. Precisely because I haven't invested much time or effort into it.
Finding a local contemporary artist scene and socialising with these people can be extremely rewarding, especially if you yourself are not a full time artist.
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#5I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
I can relate. I actually used to work at Artsy (the company who published this article), and before I worked there, I felt much the same way. What I learned after being immersed in the art world is that occasionally, art will "speak" to me immediately. But more often, it grows on me as I understand the context of the art and who made it. This is definitely the case for me with Basquiat, whose work can look like childish scribbles at first glance.
In my farewell email to my Artsy coworkers, I wrote that as I really began to engage with the art world in my time there, I realized I had gained a whole new layer of perception. I was seeing new references and callbacks everywhere in the world around me.
So what I would say is that if you feel like it's going over your head and want to invest the time, it can be extremely rewarding to go down the rabbit hole. You can do this by reading articles, watching documentaries, visiting exhibitions, and finding spaces inhabited by enthusiasts.
Some things to check out:
- The book The $12 Million Stuffed Shark
- The film Exit Through The Gift Shop
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#6I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
I felt the same about reading poetry when in school. None of it ever clicked with me and for exams ("Explain why this poem is great") I would just regurgitate various points teachers and books had told me about the poems. I didn't typically agree with any of it, and didn't care about it either.
Regarding art, I never studied it but I have two books. One is a collection of photos taken by Francesca Woodman, and another is on about Art Brut. I quite like the philosophy behind Art Brut and had never heard of it before buying the book. Something clicked.
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#7I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
I can relate. I actually used to work at Artsy (the company who published this article), and before I worked there, I felt much the same way. What I learned after being immersed in the art world is that occasionally, art will "speak" to me immediately. But more often, it grows on me as I understand the context of the art and who made it. This is definitely the case for me with Basquiat, whose work can look like child…
Thanks, I appreciate your guidance. I’m admittedly self-conditioned to snap judgements on aesthetics, and despite reading the article, that’s probably what blocks me from getting it. Glad to know there may be a cure!
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#8You can probably take the advice of the subheadings of the article in order to be an anything.
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#9I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
First step involves asking yourself what is Beauty? To You.
Most people are unconscious of what they themselves find beautiful.
What are those things that have made something inexplicably stir in your head?
If things on that list (which varies massively from person to person) doesn't overlap with something in front of you, it doesn't matter what tricks of appreciation anyone presents.
Re: Jean-Michel Basquiat on How to Be an Artist
#10I feel like I’m looking at a magic eye ( I also haven’t yet been able to ‘’see’’ one of those ) when I see art like that linked here. Is there a trick to appreciating it beyond what I can see?
Basquiat in particular requires knowledge of 1970s-80s New York, the birth of hip-hop culture and graffiti, the art world, and a whole lot of other things. In short, Basquiat is appreciated because he was a visceral, anti-establishment, extremely young guy whose work was raw and real, in comparison to the somewhat corporatized minimal aesthetic [1] that was popular at the time. He was also a really good storyteller (most famous artists are) and crafted a great narrative around his life.
Basquiat's work is basically "80s NYC" in high art form. There was so much creativity coming out of the city at that time, it was really magical, especially compared to Lower Manhattan today.
If I had to make a tech world comparison, it might be something like early Apple Computer against IBM. Hippies in garages vs. the suits.
The film Basquiat is pretty good dramatization of his life. So is Downtown 81, which is a creative film starring Basquiat himself. Both are on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn1Q44H2QyE&list=PL411118_g6...