Flash in Naples 1983

Basquiat's 'Flash in Naples' sees the artist working with acrylic and oil stick to create his very own comic book image. I love how Basquiat throws everything at the canvas, that pale grid, those arrows flying, words, and the ever-present crown. He isn't precious, and he doesn't make much distinction between figure and ground. The image of The Flash is rendered in crude, bright reds, with pink underwear, outlined in oil stick, making him pop out from the pale-green grid. Look closely, and you can see the artist has let the paint drip down the canvas, creating a contrast between the bold, energetic image of the superhero and the more subtle, almost incidental marks made by the dripping paint. It's like a dance between control and chance. Basquiat reminds me a little of Cy Twombly. They share a love for the process, the materiality of paint, and a willingness to embrace ambiguity over easy answers.