Antar 1985

Jean-Michel Basquiat made *Antar* using paint on canvas, and what grabs me first is that unapologetic blue, not just as a background, but as an active layer that peeks through and around the other elements. Basquiat’s use of colour and form feels impulsive, like a jazz solo where each note is a reaction to the one before. The textures are flat but lively, as though the painting was completed in a moment. Look at the figure in the top left. With the yellow of his headscarf, the woven pattern of his lap, the way he looks, this character embodies a kind of joyous freedom. It is a freedom that can also be found in the brushstrokes, so quick and confident. I see echoes of Cy Twombly in this piece, particularly in the way both artists use line and color to create a sense of movement and energy. Basquiat isn't trying to give us answers, but maybe just to provoke questions and let us feel our way through them.