The Lardner Report

Unleash your creative superpowers!

Basquiat: A Fresh Look At Genius

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(Pic #1) Basquiat fan “Jewelz” says he’s “not worthy” to stand by the painter’s work. He’s not alone.

Exploring the new exhibition called Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure  — curated by the younger sisters of Jean-Michel — practically made me dizzy.

There have been three times I’ve been rendered speechless —perhaps paralyzed—by coming face-to-face with artwork I’ve only seen in photographs: Seeing Henri Rousseau’s  “The Dream” at MOMA in New York as a teenager, bumping into a massive Cy Twombly at the Tate in London, and a series of Robert Rauschenberg combines at MOCA in Los Angeles.

But the current Basquiat show at The Grand in downtown LA completely consumed me — to the point of hyperventilating — like a cat on an unbearably hot day.

First, watching charming home movies taken by his parents when he was a toddler, getting up-close-and-personal with sketches that preceded his now iconic painterly pieces, and then walking through a reproduction of his studio in NYC back in the eighties — well, brought me closer to someone I thought I knew.

I HAD to know what was collage, what was paint. I used two pairs of reading glasses to determine the kind of oil stick or paint pens he used to make his classic childlike markings. Were those images slapped onto the canvas really xeroxes?  Was there another painting underneath? What are the words he crossed out? And how is it I’m willing to unravel his series of puzzles?

There are so many lessons for us in Basquiat’s work. First, he’d paint on virtually anything. Doors, friends’ apartments, fences, appliances, public walls.  He was fearless, and probably one of the most innovative artists of our time.  When he had to express a thought there was no hesitation. His spontaneity led to hundreds of modern masterpieces, and each one more exciting than the other.

Obsessed? Yes. Grateful? Yes. What a gift — that his work can be shared with us, and even decades after his death, we can celebrate his impact on art, culture and society.

Highly recommended — Show extended through October 15th. Website: https://kingpleasure.basquiat.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Collaboration: Lose the Ego!

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Team up.

(Pic #1) Join forces — supercharge ideas. Left: Photo by Josh Kaplan, right: oil pastel sketch by Lonnie Lardner.

Jobs and Wozniak…Ben and Jerry…O’Keeffe and Stieglitz…Einstein and Bohr…Lennon and McCartney…You and….

Next time you’re stuck–hook up with a partner—especially if he or she is an expert in a different discipline. Combining forces can lead to extraordinary results–especially in music, science, business, and art.

According to Vera John-Steiner’s book, Creative Collaboration, “Western belief in individualism romanticizes the perception of the solitary creative process — when the reality is — that scientific and artistic forms emerge from joint thinking, passionate conversations, emotional connections, and shared struggles.”

On the page:

In the image above (Pic #1), I explore the combination of my husband’s “wild art” photography and my acrylic painting on canvas. By digitally jamming a realistic photo of the funky piece of farm equipment (on the left) with the painted abstraction (on the right) we create something new.

(Pic #2) Warhol and Basquiat: quirky combo

The collaborative work of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat (Pic #2) has been described as “physical conversation” in paint, instead of words. Each artist remains true to his style, and once joined on the same page, they are inexorably linked. It’s been said that Warhol was inspired by Basquiat’s energy and youth and Basquiat had always idolized the eccentric older artist.

In these collaborations, Warhol remains true to his straightforward methods of hand painting enlarged headlines, logos, brand names, and commercial advertisements — all trademarks of his pop paintings in the 1960s. In contrast, Basquiat responds with his raw, iconic graffiti style — on the left side of the painting — creating a fresh dialogue between the two personalities. He even includes his recognizable “crowned figure” on the upper right.

In the lab:

I had a chance to interview a Santa Barbara PHYSICIST who won the Nobel Prize – in CHEMISTRY because he was willing to work with someone outside his field for the sake of radical discovery. Known for his groundbreaking research, Dr. Alan Heeger won the coveted Nobel Prize for “the discovery and development of conductive polymers” (organic plastics that conduct electricity). (Pic #3)

(Pic #3) Scientific alliance: new discoveries

He told me when you work with someone from another field — you have to be humble and willing to exchange ideas — while tossing out any ego that might otherwise get in the way. The partnership also means learning the “new language” from your colleague’s discipline. But, he says, the end result is always worth the intimidating beginning.

In the recording studio:

Perhaps the most tangible example of collaborative firepower emerges from contemporary music — when two disparate talents collide. Case in point: It started out as a sampling of   Phil Collins’ hit “Take Me Home” – then, rappers Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (an American hip-hop group from the 90s) invited the old Brit himself to sing the chorus.

Two generations – two styles—one chilling ballad. Critics say it may be “the unlikeliest collaboration since–well–ever” — but it all comes together perfectly. Check out the music video here:

https://youtu.be/XkVYedkhdt4 

(Pic #4) Phil Collins “bridging the rap”

By “teaming up” you increase the odds of enriching your process and product. The experience may be uncomfortable at first–because it may be unfamiliar — but it’s a challenge worth taking on, for the sake of a shared vision.  The partnership also offers a chance to be playful as well as critical.  “In collaborative work,” writes Vera John-Steiner, “we learn from each other by teaching what we know.” And that is a win-win combination.