The chaotic brilliance of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat - Jordana Moore Saggese

Translator: Hanif Chusnul Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

A sky blue canvas ripped open by an enormous skull.

Kanvas biru langit terkoyak oleh tengkorak raksasa.

Teeth bared through visceral slashes of oil and spray-paint.

Gigi terpampang di antara goresan menggugah cat minyak dan cat semprot.

In 2017,

Di tahun 2017,

this untitled artwork was auctioned off for over 110 million dollars.

karya tanpa judul ini dilelang dengan harga melebihi 110 juta dolar.

But it’s not the work of some old master.

Namun karya ini bukan dibuat oleh pelukis abad pertengahan.

These strokes of genius

Goresan jenius ini milik pemuda kulit hitam

belong to 21 year old black Brooklynite Jean-Michel Basquiat –

berumur 21 tahun asal Brooklyn, Jean-Michel Basquiat –

one of America’s most charismatic painters,

salah satu pelukis Amerika paling karismatik

and currently, its highest sold.

sekaligus pemegang rekor penjualan tertinggi saat ini.

Born in 1960 to a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother,

Lahir pada tahun 1960 dari ayah berkebangsaan Haiti dan ibu Puerto Riko,

Basquiat spent his childhood making art and mischief in Boerum Hill.

Masa kecil Basquiat di Boerum Hill dipenuhi oleh karya seni dan keonaran .

While he never attended art school,

Meski tidak pernah bersekolah seni,

he learned by wandering through New York galleries,

dia belajar melalui galeri-galeri di New York

and listening to the music his father played at home.

dan mendengarkan musik ayahnya di rumah.

He drew inspiration from unexpected places,

Dia terinspirasi oleh hal-hal tidak terduga,

scribbling his own versions of cartoons, comic books and biblical scenes

menggambar kartun, komik, dan adegan alkitab versinya sendiri

on scrap paper from his father’s office.

di kertas bekas dari kantor ayahnya.

But it was a medical encyclopedia that arguably

Namun dapat dikatakan bahwa sebuah ensiklopedia kedokteranlah

exerted the most powerful influence on Basquiat.

yang berdampak besar pada Basquiat.

When young Jean-Michael was hit by a car,

Setelah Jean-Michael muda ditabrak sebuah mobil,

his mother brought a copy of "Grey’s Anatomy" to his hospital bed.

ibunya membawakan buku "Grey's Anatomy" untuknya di rumah sakit.

It ignited a lifelong fascination with anatomy

Kekagumannya terhadap tubuh manusia tumbuh, yang diwujudkan dalam bentuk

that manifested in the skulls, sinew and guts of his later work –

tengkorak, urat, dan isi perut dalam karya-karya akhirnya -

which frequently explores both the power and vulnerability of marginalized bodies.

yang kerap mengeksplorasi kekuatan dan kerapuhan tubuh orang yang tersisihkan.

By 17, he launched his first foray into the art world with his friend Al Diaz.

Di umur 17 tahun, dia mencemplungkan diri ke dunia seni dengan temannya Al Diaz.

They spray painted cryptic statements and symbols all over Lower Manhattan,

Mereka menyemprotkan kalimat dan simbol misterius di seantero Lower Manhattan,

signed with the mysterious moniker SAMO.

yang ditandatangani dengan nama alias "SAMO".

These humorous, profound, and rebellious declarations

Deklarasi pemberontakan yang mendalam dan penuh humor ini

were strategically scattered throughout Soho’s art scene.

secara strategis tersebar di sepanjang lokasi seni di Soho.

And after revealing himself as the artist,

Setelah pengungkapan dirinya sebagai sang seniman,

Basquiat leveraged SAMO’s success to enter the scene himself;

Basquiat memanfaatkan kesuksesan SAMO untuk terjun ke dunia seni;

selling postcards, playing clubs with his avant-garde band,

menjual kartu pos, bermain band di kelab malam,

and boldly seeking out his heroes.

dan memberanikan diri menemui idolanya.

By 21, he’d turned to painting full time.

Di umur 21 tahun, dia menjadi pelukis penuh waktu.

His process was a sort of calculated improvisation.

Proses seninya menyerupai improvisasi penuh perhitungan.

Like Beat writers

Seperti penulis pada era Beat,

who composed their work by shredding and reassembling scraps of writing,

yang menyusun karyanya dari tulisan yang dipotong dan disusun kembali,

Basquiat used similar cut-up techniques to remix his materials.

Basquiat menggunakan teknik potong serupa untuk mengolah materinya.

When he couldn't afford canvases,

Jika tidak mampu membeli kanvas,

he fashioned them out of discarded wood he found on the street.

dia mengolah kayu yang dibuang untuk dijadikan kanvas.

He used oil stick, crayons, spray paint and pencil

Ia menggunakan stik minyak, krayon, cat semprot, dan pensil

and pulled quotes from the menus, comic books and textbooks

serta mengambil kutipan dari menu, komik, dan buku teks

he kept open on the studio floor.

yang selalu terbuka di lantai studionya.

He kept these sources open on his studio floor,

Sumber-sumber ini selalu ada di lantai studionya

often working on multiple projects at once.

karena ia biasa mengerjakan beberapa karya bersamaan.

Pulling in splintered anatomy, reimagined historical scenes,

Memadukan tubuh yang terurai, mereka ulang sejarah,

and skulls transplanted from classical still-lives,

dan tengkorak yang diambil dari lukisan benda mati,

Basquiat repurposed both present day experiences and art history

Basquiat mengubah pengalaman sehari-hari masa kini dan sejarah seni

into an inventive visual language.

menjadi bahasa visual baru.

He worked as if inserting himself into the legacy of artists he borrowed from,

Dia berkarya dengan memasukkan dirinya ke dalam warisan seniman pendahulu,

producing collages that were just as much in conversation with art history

menghasilkan kolase yang sejalan dengan sejarah seni

as they were with each other.

maupun dengan satu sama lain.

For instance, "Toussaint L’Overture versus Savonarola"

Sebagai contoh, "Toussaint L’Overture versus Savonarola"

and "Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta"

dan "Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta"

offer two distinct visions of Basquiat’s historical and contemporary concerns.

menampilkan dua visi berbeda Basquiat atas isu lampau dan kontemporer.

But they echo each other in the details,

Namun detail dalam kedua lukisan itu saling menguatkan,

such as the reappearing head that also resurfaces in "PPCD."

seperti kemunculan berulang sosok kepala, yang juga muncul dalam lukisan "PPCD".

All these pieces form a network that offers physical evidence

Semua bagian-bagian ini menunjukkan bukti nyata

of Basquiat’s restless and prolific mind.

atas pikiran Basquiat yang selalu bergejolak dan penuh ide.

These chaotic canvases won rapid acclaim and attention.

Kanvas semrawut ini memenangkan banyak pujian dan penghargaan.

But despite his increasingly mainstream audience,

Meskipun karyanya semakin diminati banyak orang,

Basquiat insisted on depicting challenging themes

Basquiat tetap kukuh dengan tema yang rumit

of identity and oppression.

seperti identitas dan penindasan.

Marginalized figures take center stage, such as prisoners, cooks and janitors.

Berpusat pada orang-orang tersisihkan: narapidana, tukang masak, pembersih.

His obsession with bodies, history, and representation

Obsesinya terhadap tubuh, sejarah, dan representasi

can be found in works evoking the Atlantic slave trade and African history,

tampak dalam karyanya tentang perdagangan budak Atlantik dan sejarah Afrika,

as well as pieces focusing on contemporary race relations.

serta dalam karyanya tentang hubungan antar ras di masa kini.

In less than a decade,

Kurang dari satu dekade,

Basquiat made thousands of paintings and drawings-

Basquiat telah menciptakan ribuan lukisan dan gambar-

along with sculpture, fragments of poetry and music.

beserta pahatan, bait puisi, serta musik.

His output accelerated alongside his meteoric rise to fame,

Karyanya membeludak seiring namanya yang melejit,

but his life and work were cut tragically short

namun hidup dan karyanya terhenti secara tragis

when he died from a drug overdose at the age of 27.

saat ia meninggal dunia akibat overdosis pada umur 27 tahun.

After his death, Basquiat’s work only increased in value-

Setelah kematiannya, karya Basquiat semakin dihargai,

but the energy and flair of his pieces

tetapi daya dan pesona ciptaannya

have impacted much more than their financial worth.

berdampak lebih besar daripada nilai uangnya.

Today, his influence swirls around us in music, poetry, fashion and film-

Sekarang, pengaruhnya ada di mana-mana, musik, puisi, mode, dan film-

and his art retains the power to shock, inspire, and get under our skin.

dan karyanya tak berhenti mengejutkan, mengilhami, dan mengusik pikiran kita.