Beschreibung:

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF SCOTT D.F. SPIEGEL Jean-Michel-Basquiat Follow Untitled signed "Jean-Michel Basquiat" on the reverse oil paintstick on paper 30 x 22 1/8 in. (76.2 x 56.2 cm.) Executed in 1982, this work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Authentication Committee of the Estate of Jean-Michel-Basquiat and dates the work 1982/83.
Provenance Scott D.F. Spiegel, Los Angeles (acquired directly from the artist in 1982) Catalogue Essay Adversity and Liberation by Fred Hoffman Untitled , 1982 is a rare work in the oeuvre of Jean-Michel-Basquiat. It brings forth, within a work on paper themes and subjects found in key paintings including Acque Pericolose , 1981, Untitled (LA Painting) , 1982, Notary , 1983, Untitled (Black Tar and Feathers) , 1982, and pieces from the acclaimed Daros Suite , 1982-83, of 32 works on paper. Presenting the image of a standing black male surrounded by an array of symbolic images, this work distinguishes itself from other works on paper in its rich narrative content. The subject matter of this work is the triumph of freedom over physical adversity. In contrast to other works depicting an iconic black male figure, this work singularly tells a story---the struggle for liberation and an ultimate victory. Untitled presents a full-length, armless black male depicted in the nude. Not only does the work reveal the figure’s external physiognomy, it equally portrays internal organs and musculature. Unique in the oeuvre from this period, both arms are severed at the shoulder sockets. This disembodiment is suggested by “energy” lines extending away from the figure’s right shoulder as well as by a symbolic lightning bolt directly below. Basquiat reinforced this representation of physical loss in the depiction of a severed foot and ankle with spikes or nails driven through the toes and ankle. The rendering of the severed foot in Untitled is depicted again in King Brand, one of the works on paper from The Daros Suite . Untitled is the artist’s first portrayal of an armless free-standing figure. This subject is rare in Basquiat’s work from 1982-1983. Possibly a precursor, the full-length, standing black male in Acque Pericolose seems to be armless, when upon more careful inspection, it is revealed that the figure’s arms are, in fact portrayed by simple white lines crossing at the figure’s chest. Interestingly, Acque Pericolose shares a second similarity with Untitled in the depiction alongside the standing figure of a four legged creature. While the animal portrayed in Acque Pericolose appears decimated--- more of a skeleton than a living creature-- the animal alongside Basquiat’s figure in Untitled appears both alert and animated. Acque Pericolose was an important precedent for Untitled. “In what may be interpreted as the artist’s first major self-portrait, the artist has depicted himself as vulnerable, yet possessed with pride and authority….a sense of being at peace with himself even though he is surrounded by death and upheaval.” (Fred Hoffman, “The Defining Years, Notes on Five Key Works.” Basquiat , The Brooklyn Museum, New York, 2005, p. 132) In Untitled Basquiat elaborates on these same themes of vulnerability and transcendence, further using his picture making as a means of both self-representation and the expression of a larger “world view.” The only other renderings of an armless, free -standing figure from 1982-83 appear in Flash in Naples and Notary from 1983. In several 1984 paintings, including Pedestrian II , Freddy and Bird as Buddha , Basquiat presents the image of an armless male figure. The figure depicted in Untitled however remains unique as it is part of a “story” that the artist “tells” through his array of accompanying symbols and images. While the central figure of Untitled conveys physical loss, Basquiat’s figure in Flash in Naples , 1983 accompanied by his animated side-kick who appears to spring through space, suggests an act of heroism. In Notary , 1983 Basquiat’s central figure shares none of the attributes of loss or a diminution of physical capacity. The figure portrayed in this monumental work presents a rich iconographic portrayal of transcendence not found in the earlier Untitled . In many ways Notary , 1983 is the culmination and fullest realization of the themes and subjects first suggested in this seminal w