Anatomy, Vertical Median
Anatomy, Vertical Median
Signed Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
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76 x 56cm, Edition of 18, Screenprint
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 18
Year: 1982
Size: H 76cm x W 56cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: March 2024
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Meaning & Analysis
In Vertical Median we see loose depictions of the patella, femur and hip joint alongside a written reference to the vertical median, which is the vertical plane which divides the body into its right and left sides, also known as the mid-sagittal plane. This textual reference is counteracted by the horizontal lines which chaotically surround the sketches. This direct contradiction is suggestive of the wide-ranging visual and thematic tensions which populate Jean-Michel Basquiat’s images.
The body parts are rendered in simplistic shapes; the patella in 3 circles suggesting three separate views, whilst the femur takes form as a cartoon-like bone. The specificity suggested by the femur’s label of ‘back view’ is undermined by the simplicity of the bone’s rendering. Basquiat presents a playful approach to the diagrams of Gray’s Anatomy, perhaps the primary inspiration behind the Anatomy series.
This Anatomy print reveals the artist's interest in toying with representations of the human form through simplifying the body into basic shapes, departing from the more elaborate anatomical detail such as that seen in 3 Views Of The Shoulder Joint Opened.
Jean-Michel Basquiat's unique visual style has dominated the Urban Art scene, securing his status as one of the most successful African-American street artists of the 20th Century. Addressing themes of race, identity and culture within his expressive works, his distinctive painterly style and use of child-like iconography changed the course of art history forever. Artworks such as Undiscovered Genius place controversial subjects at the forefront of his narrative. Despite his tragically premature death at the age of 27, Basquiat's impact on the art scene is exemplified through the increase of his market value in the years since.
