The artwork “Glenn” (1984) by Jean-Michel Basquiat is an acrylic oil painting with a collage on canvas. In this painting, Basquiat conveys his exploration of personal identity through the experience of black humans. The drawing is filled with so many different pieces to unpack and analyze, similar to the mind, spirit, and thoughts of Black human beings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Graphic art is similar to surrealism, as many images are a mix of human anatomy and perception of darkness, giving an idea much of the work has an unbalanced appearance. The message invoked by Basquiat through this painting was in relation between the mentality and experience of blacks and the perception of blacks through his use of collage, lines and color. The collage looks raw, like passionate pages of a diary with spontaneous sketches. There is very little color saturation throughout the work, purposely crafted by the artist to make each color bolder and more recognisable. The juxtaposition of the almost messy looking face drawing on the highly detailed collages causes the viewer to think about the meaning of the face and the art it lands on. The space it occupies is large; it's the whole canvas. The collage contains interesting writings and drawings, such as police cars, DNA structures, and many drawings of the anatomy of humans and animals. The canvas that forms the foundation of the work says that these are the thoughts that underlie the black experience. Basquiat uses black a lot, as well as green and red. These colors are the ones made mainly with oil sticks on top of the collective collage. These are also the colors in relation to Pan-Africanism and black pride in general. The massive drawing of a face above the work is colored black, with red and green hair. The use of these colors immediately made me think about the perception of blacks; this face exuded darkness right down to the hair drawn on his head. Red and green also seem symbolic to me, red perhaps meaning vanity and evil and green meaning wealth. Each photocopied collage also has its own colors, such as yellow, red, brown, blue and purple. These colors enhance the collage designs; life experiences enhance and change your existence, perception and understanding of the world, like the colors used. The lines of the work are not sharp or straight, having been made with oil sticks, they are soft and thick. The face takes up a lot of space, giving it meaning. Around the mouth area of ​​the face, which occupies most of the space, various red and black lines emerge; some lines are interrupted. This gives value and meaning to the words that come out of their mouths. Many lines are vertical, particularly around the area at the top of the head of the face. This could represent hair or, even more, knowledge and mental power. The lines have a grainy texture, opaque compared to the collage canvas on which it is drawn. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Through colors, lines, and collages, this artwork provides insight into the artist's perspective on darkness. “Glenn” is an informative, interesting and thought-provoking work created by Basquiat to help put black life and experience into perspective. The exploration of self through thoughts in the collage is a great example of his message. Pure emotion is perceived through his use of lines and colors. The use of oil sticks also highlights his passion, as it is an easier tool to use so you can draw more.