Pedestrian 2 1984

Jean-Michel Basquiat made Pedestrian 2, with what looks like acrylic and oil stick, and maybe even spray paint. There's an immediacy in the way the colors are laid down. Like the process is the point. Take a look at the red background, scumbled and uneven, and then there's that black figure. The jagged teeth! It's raw and confrontational, but there’s a cool vulnerability too. The white lines around the figure give it this kind of ghostly presence, like he's both there and not there. That green building in the background, feels like a kid might draw it. But it's not just childish; it's like Basquiat is cutting through all the artifice and getting to something primal, like Cy Twombly, but with more angst. It's not pretty, but it's real. And that's what makes it so powerful.