Olive Oil - Jean-Michel Basquiat

A representative example of Jean-Michel Basquiat's raw, gestural style, 'Olive Oil' features a dense layering of text, symbols, and diagrams, reflecting the artist's stream-of-consciousness approach to art-making.

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was an American artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent. Basquiat first achieved notoriety as part of the graffiti duo SAMO©, which spray-painted cryptic epigrams in the cultural centre of Manhattan. In the 1980s, he exhibited in galleries internationally and collaborated with Andy Warhol. Basquiat's work often incorporates words, letters, and pictograms; it explores themes of race, class, and identity. His art is characterised by a raw, gestural style, combining graffiti with elements of drawing and painting. Basquiat died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27. His work remains highly influential and continues to be exhibited worldwide. 'Olive Oil' is a representative example of Basquiat's style. The work features a dense layering of text, symbols, and diagrams. Words and phrases are scrawled across the surface, often crossed out or obscured. The composition is chaotic, with lines and arrows connecting disparate elements. The colour palette is limited, with black, red, and white dominating the composition. The overall effect is one of urgency and immediacy, reflecting the artist's stream-of-consciousness approach to art-making.