17 Comments

Thanks for reposting this... Basquiat's obsessive output has always felt inspiring to me. Not his health habits though. It's weird to notice that he was born the same year as me... he's eternally young, while I am not. Young, but sadly not alive.

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I often wonder what Basquiat would be doing if he were still alive--how his art would have changed with the times.

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I like to think he’d still be as dynamic and engaged, but you never know. You can never predict the trajectory of someone’s life (and thank God for that).

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I have never heard of him before. I love his letter E. Thanks for introducing me to him... and sending me on a trail of thought.... about unconformity.

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A great trail of thought to be on!

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He was a proletarian artist of the first order.

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Such a great description!

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Oct 14Liked by Jillian Hess

Fascinating

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This post is a work of art!

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Awe, Isabel! Thank you!

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Oct 14Liked by Jillian Hess

It’s so funny that i was watching videos about Basquiat last night and here you are with this article this morning. Thank you for posting graphics I hadn’t’ seen before. Your article, links to Al Diaz and writing about his notebooks is a treasure. Thank you!

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Oct 15·edited Oct 15Author

You're very welcome, Lydia! So glad you enjoyed it.

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Thanks for making Basquiat even more relatable.

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Thanks, Lesley!

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A poet who wrote on walls. That's so amazing. He created a small revolution in his shirt but intense life! Thanks for documenting his work Jillian :)

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"A poet who wrote on walls": love this, Minaz!

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For Art :)

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