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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

A sky blue canvas ripped open by an enormous skull.

一張天藍色的畫布 被一個巨大的骷髏撕開。

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

牙齒透過油墨 和噴漆的揮灑裸露出來。

In 2017,

2017 年，

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

這幅沒有名稱的作品在拍賣會上 以一億一千萬美元售出。

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

但它並非出自某位年長大師之手。

These strokes of genius

這些神來之筆來自一位 二十一歲的布魯克林黑人青年

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

尚米榭巴斯奇亞——

one of America’s most charismatic painters,

他是美國最有魅力的畫家之一，

and currently, its highest sold.

也創下目前美國 最高價賣出的畫作。

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

生於 1960 年，父親是海地人， 母親是波多黎哥人，

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

巴斯奇亞的童年都在波恩蘭姆小丘 創作藝術及惡作劇。

While he never attended art school,

雖然他從沒上過藝術學校， 他學習的方式是在紐約畫廊徘徊，

he learned by wandering through New York galleries,

and listening to the music his father played at home.

以及在家中聽他父親播放的音樂。

He drew inspiration from unexpected places,

他的靈感來自未預期的地方，

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

胡亂創作出自己版本的卡通、 漫畫書，以及聖經場景，

on scrap paper from his father’s office.

畫在從他父親辦公室拿的廢紙上。

But it was a medical encyclopedia that arguably

但，其實可以說是 一本醫學百科全書

exerted the most powerful influence on Basquiat.

對巴斯奇亞的影響最為重大。

When young Jean-Michael was hit by a car,

當年輕的尚米榭被一台車撞到時，

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

他的母親買了本《格雷氏解剖學》 讓他在醫院病床上看。

It ignited a lifelong fascination with anatomy

這本書點燃了他一生 對於解剖學的迷戀，

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

這種迷戀以骷髏、肌腱、內臟等 形態出現在他後來的作品中——

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

那些作品常常是在探討 邊緣化身體的力量和脆弱。

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

十七歲時，他和他的朋友艾爾 迪亞茲一起初次進軍藝術世界。

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

他們在曼哈頓下城各處用噴漆 畫出各種難看懂的聲明，

signed with the mysterious moniker SAMO.

署名用神秘的暱稱「SAMO」。

These humorous, profound, and rebellious declarations

這些幽默、深刻、反叛的宣言

were strategically scattered throughout Soho’s art scene.

策略性地散佈在 蘇荷區的藝術圈當中。

And after revealing himself as the artist,

在以藝術家的身分出道之後，

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

巴斯奇亞善用了 SAMO 的成功， 自己進入了這個領域；

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

銷售明信片，和他的 前衛樂團在俱樂部表演，

and boldly seeking out his heroes.

並大膽地找到他的主人翁們。

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

二十一歲時，他開始全職畫畫。

His process was a sort of calculated improvisation.

他的流程有點像是 計算好的即興創作流程。

Like Beat writers

就像「垮掉的一代」的作家， 把作品碎掉後再重組碎片來創作，

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

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

巴斯奇亞用類似的切碎技巧 來重新混合他的素材。

When he couldn't afford canvases,

當他無法買不起畫布時，

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

他用街上找到的 廢棄木頭來製做畫布。

He used oil stick, crayons, spray paint and pencil

他用油畫棒、蠟筆、 噴漆，和鉛筆，

and pulled quotes from the menus, comic books and textbooks

並從他攤開放在工作室 地板上的說明書、漫畫書，

he kept open on the studio floor.

和教科書中擷取引言。

He kept these sources open on his studio floor,

這些來源素材都被他 攤開放在工作室地板上，

often working on multiple projects at once.

他通常會同時做好幾個計畫。

Pulling in splintered anatomy, reimagined historical scenes,

他會納入碎裂的解剖學、 重新想像的歷史場景，

and skulls transplanted from classical still-lives,

以及從經典靜物畫中 移植來的骷髏，

Basquiat repurposed both present day experiences and art history

巴斯奇亞重新規劃了 現代經驗以及藝術歷史，

into an inventive visual language.

讓它們成為有創意的視覺語言。

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

他工作的方式，彷彿將他自己嵌入 被他所引用之藝術家的遺產中，

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

產生出來的拼貼， 既有和藝術歷史的對話，

as they were with each other.

也有和彼此的對話。

For instance, "Toussaint L’Overture versus Savonarola"

比如《Toussaint L’Overture versus Savonarola》

and "Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta"

及《密西西比三角洲 未被發掘的特質》

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

是巴斯奇亞對歷史及現在的 關注議題的兩種不同遠景。

But they echo each other in the details,

但這兩種遠景在細節上有所共鳴，

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

比如不斷重覆出現的頭 也在《PPCD》中再次露面。

All these pieces form a network that offers physical evidence

所有這些作品，形成了 一個網絡，以實體證據證明

of Basquiat’s restless and prolific mind.

巴斯奇亞那充滿創意的 大腦完全停不下來。

These chaotic canvases won rapid acclaim and attention.

這些混亂的畫布很快 就贏得了讚賞和注意。

But despite his increasingly mainstream audience,

但，儘管他有 越來越多的主流觀眾，

Basquiat insisted on depicting challenging themes

巴斯奇亞仍然堅持要描繪 很有挑戰性的主題，

of identity and oppression.

包括身分以及壓迫。

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

被邊緣化的人物佔據了中央舞台， 比如囚犯、廚師，及工友。

His obsession with bodies, history, and representation

他對於身體、歷史， 以及表現的迷戀，

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

會出現在讓人想起大西洋奴隸貿易 以及非洲歷史的作品中，

as well as pieces focusing on contemporary race relations.

以及著重現代種族關係的作品中。

In less than a decade,

在不到十年的時間， 巴斯奇亞就完成了數千件畫作——

Basquiat made thousands of paintings and drawings-

along with sculpture, fragments of poetry and music.

還有雕塑、片段的詩作和音樂。

His output accelerated alongside his meteoric rise to fame,

他的產出越來越快， 名氣也越來越高，

but his life and work were cut tragically short

但他的人生和作品非常短暫，

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

他在二十七歲時 就因為用藥過量而死。

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

死後，巴斯奇亞的作品價值 只有不斷增加——

but the energy and flair of his pieces

但他的作品的能量以及天賦

have impacted much more than their financial worth.

有著比財務價值更大許多的影響。

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

現今，他的影響仍然 圍繞在我們身邊，

在音樂中、詩作中、 時尚中，以及電影中——

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

他的藝術仍然保有衝擊、 鼓舞、深入人心的能力。