Furious Man 1982

Jean-Michel Basquiat made Furious Man with paint, and probably oil sticks too, in the 1980s, give or take. There’s a real immediacy to Basquiat’s work. It's like he’s pulling images straight from his head onto the canvas with barely a filter. Look at the way he uses line; it’s raw, scratchy, full of nervous energy. The colours are bold, clashing, but somehow they work. There’s a rhythm in the chaos. That black figure dominates the piece, doesn't it? He looks caged in. The white lines crisscrossing his body are like bars, trapping him. And the skull-like face with those red eyes...man, that's intense. But then you see the crown floating above, and it's like a symbol of power, or maybe defiance? Basquiat's like Cy Twombly with a message. They both embrace the mess, but Basquiat's mess is loaded with meaning. It's not just about the paint; it's about life, struggle, identity, you know?