Number 18 1981

Jean-Michel Basquiat made Number 18 with paint and mixed media. You can see immediately that the whiteness isn't just a flat background, it's alive! Look at the way Basquiat layers his materials, building up a textured surface that feels almost sculptural. The paint is thick in places, thin in others, revealing glimpses of what lies beneath. See how the white paint almost seems to fight with the black and red shapes nearby, and the scribbled figure with its crown. It gives the impression of a constant push-and-pull, a dynamic tension that keeps the eye moving. There’s a raw, almost childlike energy in Basquiat’s work, yet it’s also incredibly sophisticated. I find myself wondering whether he was looking at Cy Twombly, another artist who embraced the messy, the imperfect, the beauty of the unfinished. Ultimately, it’s up to us to find our own meaning, to connect with the work in a way that feels personal and true.