Jean-Michel Basquiat

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Saturday, November 26

Why did I feel like I was meeting the man himself? I could understand feeling excited, even a little anxious, there was a lot to live up to here. But the heart-pounding, the tightness in the chest? I didn't realize I was quite that awe struck. What would happen if Warhol came to town? Maybe I'd faint like a groupie?

Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (the print I bought)

The Irony of the Negro Policeman (the print I wanted but they didn't have)

The sheer size of the paintings is awesome, it's hard to know where to look first, the colors pull you in so many directions. I found The Irony the most striking of all the images and it was one that I was unfamiliar with. Some genius once said that if you look at things a different way; out of focus, you can concentrate on the bigger picture without being distracted by the details. I tried it with several of the Basquiats by taking off my glasses, The Irony had the most impact. It's hard to tell in this image, but if you've seen the painting in person you'll appreciate the colors, the way the blues melt together, it's hard to stop looking at it. I wanted to stand there all day but I had a date with some chili.

What I enjoy most about Basquiat is his use of urban subjects. He may like to relay his African and Jamaican heritage and the ties that lead back to slavery, his love of jazz, boxing and anatomy and his morbid memories of childhood, but he always seems drawn to the harsh realities of life in the big city: Poverty, money, low income housing, advertising, flashes of real life come through amidst the history and culture he uses to tie his life together.

It was all it could have been and then some.