Jean-Michel Basquiat 1982

This is Andy Warhol's portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and it's all about the magic that happens when you put ink to surface, right? Warhol's known for that pop art vibe, but here, it feels different, more raw. I think the color is key. That orangey-red ground, it's got this warmth, but it's also kind of corroded, like the whole thing's been through a washing machine. And then the blacks, they aren't solid, they’re broken up, like the image is disintegrating, or maybe coming into being? Look at Basquiat's hair, that dark halo is built up of these fragmented marks and it's like Warhol's capturing not just a face, but a presence, an energy. It reminds me of Rauschenberg, how he blurred the lines between painting and printmaking, playing with layers and chance. Art's this ongoing conversation, and Warhol and Basquiat, they’re right in the thick of it.