Friday, June 28, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Jean-Michel Basquiat in Montclair
The Defining Years: Notes on Five Key Works
Fred Hoffman
The idea that the soul will join with the ecstatic
Just because the body is rotten—
That is all fantasy.
What is found now is found then.
If you find nothing now,
You will simply end up with an apartment in the City of Death.
—Kabir
Underlying
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s sense of himself as an artist was his innate
capacity to function as something like an oracle, distilling his
perceptions of the outside world down to their essence and, in turn,
projecting them outward through his creative acts. This recognition of
his role first manifested itself in street actions wherein, under the
tag name of SAMO, he transformed his own observations into pithy text
messages inscribed on the edifices of the urban environment. This effort
quickly became the basis for his early artistic output, including a
series of text-image drawings executed in early 1981. Containing a
single word, a short phrase, or a simple image referring to a person,
event, or recent observation, each drawing refined an external
perception down to its core.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Graffiti (singular: graffito; the plural is used as a mass noun. Also known as Graff) is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place.[1]
Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings,
and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to
Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.[2]
In modern times, paint, particularly spray paint, and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.
Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture, graffiti has evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements.[3] Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.
Controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials, law enforcement, and writers who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly developing art form whose value is highly contested and reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.
In modern times, paint, particularly spray paint, and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.
Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture, graffiti has evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements.[3] Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.
Controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials, law enforcement, and writers who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly developing art form whose value is highly contested and reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.
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