It’s Surreal: The Radiant Child, Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat became notorious for his graffiti art in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene. I’ve been on Basquiat since the beginning of my blogg’n days. No secret as to why I labeled one of our tags, “SAMO,” Basquiat’s moniker. In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. Literally making his mark with graffiti on public walls under the nom de plume “Samo” (short for same old thing). It definitely made its mark on me. Debuting at this years Sundance Film Festival, “The Radiant Child” is a film on the legendary art icon Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat’s own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.
Past Articles:
Keep It Surreal >> SAMO
Keep It Surreal >> Lee Jaffe x Basquiat
Keep It Surreal >> Basquiat x Peter Relic
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Not try’na toot my own horn, but this photo is so dope. Depth perception is heavy in this one. I tried something new called tilt shift photography. It’s when you focus the lens on a single part of the photo and shift around the surrounding/neighboring area to create an optical illusion of miniaturized scenery. Real tilt shift lenses are quite expensive, but a similar effect can be achieved by using Photoshop after you take the photo.
Original after the jump.
Video: Dir. Tamra Davis Speaks x Sundance
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child” director Tamra Davis talks about the artist’s passion for film, and the second career he wanted to pursue.
Chad Harris
Broccoli
Keep It Surreal we can talk about what we want, when we want, how we want. Bloggers keeping it real. Our purpose is to touch on topics from art, design and musiq to life and habitat. We try to give a shining light on all creatives, especially folks with aspirations of growing viral, as well as, already established folk in pop-culture. We’ll use this blog to explore a thing or two. Hopefully you’ll contribute.
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