Comparative studies

Comparative studies
In this comparative studies, I will be analyzing 2 pieces of artwork by Jean Michel
Basquiat and 1 piece of artwork from Gordon Bennett. I will be focusing on the Unity in Strength, 2017
religious references and racism. As racism is an issue that still existing and is Acrylic , oil pastels, Marker and
happening in a global scale. I will be analyzing the ways in which the artist convey Indian ink on Acrylic paper
the message of racism through the different pieces. I would also like to focus on (----------cm)
how the three artworks convey the message of racism from different perspectives. I Rupasri Veeresh
will compare these pieces to my art piece which focuses more on the racism that had
a impact on me as I was growing up in Malaysia.

Gordon Bennett Notes to Basquiat (911)

2001 synthetic polymer paint on linen
182.5 x 304.0 cm

In Italian, 1983
Acrylic and oil paint stick on canvas with Hollywood Africans, 1983
wooden supports and five smaller canvases Acrylic and oil stick on canvas
painted with ink marker , 224.8 203.2cm (213.5 213.4 cm)
Jean Michel Basquiat Jean Michel Basquiat
Analysis of Interpretation and function-jean Michel Basquiat
"In Italian, Jean painted the
In Italian coin of Liberty which he crossed
Italy and Italians played a major role in Jeans short career. He out mysteriously and "IN GOD
met an Italian artist who introduced him to a dealer in Italy. WE TRUST" was written like a
Basquiat, who did not keep track of how many pieces of art scribbling which is mocking the
work he gave to Mazzoli the dealer he was introduced to, told religion. Likewise, George
his friends that the dealer had gotten a bulk deal and had Washington's right eye gazes
cheated him of his money. On his second trip to Italy some years specifically at the audience,
later, Basquiat was detained by Italian custom officials before his giving exhibition viewers the
departure. As he was a more reputable artist, he carried roughly frightening strong look found in
$100k in cash, a sum they could not believe a young black visitor many Picasso paintings. The
The repetition of the
had earned simply by selling paintings. The title In Italian may quarter on the right canvas was
word teeth, appearing 4
not have anything to do with Jeans experiences in Italy. It may be not drawn completely,
times could represent
a simple way of saying that the painting style he imitated is in a demonetizes the value of the
frustration of his
graffiti style. The term graffiti was first created to describe the quarter compared to "TEN
experience in Italy as he
inscriptions and drawings found on the walls of ancient Roman cents." He adds a time frame,
drew teeth for George
ruins which evolved to become vandalism. 1594-1752, of the value of the
Washington figure from
On the left side of the art piece, he labeled DIAGRAM OF quarter. It also could be
the coin. He emphasizes
THE HEART PUMPING BLOOD, which could be a interpreted as the year the
his point of the money
reference to the "Sacred Heart," a typical representation of American gained rights.
matter through this.
Christ's adoration for mankind and a sign for some Roman
Catholic organizations. As Jean attended a Catholic secondary
The primary character of "In Italian a blue headed figure on the right side of the canvas, it could be a
school, it could have an influence on the way he thinks and
symbol of Christ as the figure appeared in many Ornate paintings. The expression "CROWN OF
interpret art, because his art pieces had many religious
THORNS" is printed above his skull, with "THORNS" being crossed out. The use of the word crown
references. He also grew up in a society where Europeans and
could represent the dangers behind the crown. And that fact that he wrote it above an African masked man
Africans are treated differently although they claim to be united.
could suggest peoples opinion about having a black person in authority. The words SANGRE (a Spanish
It affected his upbringing where he developed the idea of
word for blood) and CORPUS (a Latin word for body) are among some of the different words and
racism. He might have gotten the idea of the heart through the
markings that showed up on the figure's body. The yellow lines that is all over the figures face could be a
reference of the book gray anatomy. A book his mother bought
sign of transformation, a transformation to become another person which causes the figure to be looked as
him when he was younger.
someone foreign that does not belong to the group. In this case, a African American.
Analysis of formal quality- jean Michel Basquiat
In Italian- formal qualities
In Italian, Basquiat uses various elements of art in an abnormal way which was considered to There is a lot going on in this piece thus everyone would have a different interpretation. As
be a unique style at that time. It imitates a work of a child which makes it different from all for me , the first thing that is observed would be the masked man. This is because the masked
other artists work. He uses various elements and principals of art to emphasize his points. face is the only subject that has a lot of colours. The next thing would be the coin as it is the
Colour
The colors used in this piece is vibrant. The background itself has many
colours like pink, green, sky blue, black and more. He uses a lot of pink and
green hues of low intensity which catches the audiences attention as the
colours are faint and dull. Basquiat's main aim in this piece, in fact, all of
his pieces are used to capture the audience attention as he tried to raise
awareness about racism in a subtle way. The message that the artist is trying
to convey is not clear unless the audience have some background knowledge
which he tries to show using colour. This would encourage the audience to
learn more about the work out of curiosity. The composition for the
background is quite disorganized. Colors of lighter hue are used like sky
blue, sap green and pale pink. The colors used in the background makes it
seem like it is one of the main subjects. The intensity of the colors used for
the other subjects are strong and bright, like the colour blood red for the
heart and body of the figure. The background itself has layers of colors of
opaque pigments. The main subject is the masked man. This is the only
subject with a lot of colors on it, such as hookers green and yellow which
are of similar hue. The artist used white to outline the features of the
masked man. It is meant to be an African mask which explains why it looks
wild and has a lot of colors to it. This is to represent the exotic wild culture
of the African people. He painted white lines over the heart as it is a
contrasting color which makes the image of a heart more visible. He used
the color yellow and black for the font as it a contrasting color to the
background of green, pink and blue, making it stand out.
Movement
only subject with a white background followed by the replica of the coin on a pink
background. The repetition of the coin shows the importance of it. The next thing would be
diagram of the heart as it is out of context. After that, would be the black figure at the
bottom of the left piece. The words would be the next thing that would be examined in
detail. For example, the word Sangre was cancelled out and re-written in yellow. This is to
create emphasis on the word as mentioned by the artist.
In Italian, 1983
Acrylic and oil paint stick on canvas with wooden supports and five Emphasis
smaller canvases painted with ink marker , 224.8 203.2 cm The artist uses colours as one of the main factors to
emphasize his points he tried to make. This can be seen
when he used a lot of colours on the African masked
face which contrast all the other things he painted with
only one colour. He also used different backgrounds to
create different levels of emphasis on different parts of
the painting. For example, the white coin, without the
black background would not be as visible as compared
to having a black background. To emphasize the
importance of the coin, he repeated the painting on a
pink background. Basquiat cancelled the words he
wrote and used a different colour to show emphasis
and it would make the audience reflect on it. He also
uses the size of the subjects to show emphasize such as
the size of the African masked man figure compared to
the black figure at the bottom left hand corner of the
painting.
Analysis of formal quality- jean Michel Basquiat
In Italian- formal qualities
Proportions Shape
Given the fact that Basquiat tries to imitate the work
The shapes that are found in this piece are amorphous shapes.
of a child, the proportions are completely off.
As it imitate geometric shapes but in an abstract manner such as
Proportion of all the subject matters in this piece is
the shape of the heart, African masked man and face of George
generally not proportional and this can be seen for the
Washington. For example, George Washingtons face is not
African masked figure. The proportions of the head
drawn accurately compared to what is seen on the coin. The
seem to be off as it looks elongated. The proportions
shape of the heart also does not depict an actually shape of an
of the face of George Washington is also not accurate
heart thus Basquiat used shapes to get the attention of the
compared to the size of the circle drawn. The coin
audience. Due to the fact that the shapes are odd, it would take
with the white background seem to have a better
a longer time for the audience to break down the shape and try
proportion compared to the second coin. He added
to understand what is the subject matter. This is Basquiat way
teeth and nostrils with proportions that are
of gaining the audience attention. This also can be linked to the
comparatively inaccurate thus making it look like a
use of Neo- expressionism where the subject matters are
different figure.
portrayed to look different compared to what it actually looks
In Italian, 1983 like, by exaggerating the shape and making it look abstract.
Acrylic and oil paint stick on canvas with wooden supports and five
smaller canvases painted with ink marker , 224.8 203.2 cm

Line
Basquiat uses line in an abstract and unplanned manner. The lines he used are not straight and it replicates the lines a kid would draw. Most of the lines are drawn with the colours of either
white or black and at times yellow. The lines used could represent how his state of mind, that is how I interpreted it, it represents his lost and unsatisfied mindset on various subjects. There
is no proper meaning behind why he choose to do it, and when he was asked on why he did so during an interview he said if you asked a musician why did he choose to use that note in his
song, he would not have an answer for it. He/she just choose to do so. you just go with the flow.. On the top left side of the piece, he drew random yellow lines over the black background.
The contrast in colour makes it more visible. This also can be found on the right hand side of the piece where he cancels out the word Paulo. The way I interpreted it would be that it
represents his unsettled state of him. He used random lines on the heart instead of drawing the details of the heart , it still could be seen that it is a painting of a heart. Another area in
which the use of line is obvious and significant would be the African masked mans face with the use of colour. The thickness of the white line outlines the face and specific features of the
face. The thickness of the line on the African masked man plays are big part on emphasis as if the lines where thinner, the masked man would not standout as much compared to when
thicker lines used.
Analysis of Interpretation and function- jean Michel
Basquiat Hollywood Africans Hollywood Africans
1983
Acrylic and oil stick on canvas
(213.5 213.4 cm)
Jean-Michel Basquiats painting reflects on the many
issues African Americans deal with everyday. Whether
being in the entertainment industry or politics, racism
and discrimination have always been present. He
reflects these issues through many of his paintings,
and one of those painting would be Hollywood
Africans. Though the artist brings about many issues,
he has always celebrated African American culture
through his paintings, often making people of color
the protagonists of his paintings.
The bright yellow, green acrylic and oil stick on
canvas, may represent the minorities in media outlets,
and in addition American culture on the loose.
Around the canvas, he paints clouded expressions, for
example, "Sugarcane," "Tobacco," "Gangsterism," and
"What is Bwana?" to portray the restricted parts that
African American on-screen characters confront in
Hollywood because of segregation. Sugarcane is often
stereotyped with American African as during the time
of slavery, Africans where forced to work in sugarcane
fields. He also adds the copyright sign as he said
during an interview I dont want to get sued for
using words as he tried to subtlety mention how
people would pick on him because he was an African
American.
He writes 22 60 12 on the right
He also mentioned the year to show
how it is the 20th century and racism
underneath the words hero.ism. Placing still existed in the 20th century. And
his birth date on his work. He used this as the fact that he did not put in the
another way to leave his mark. And he also ending year shows how he knows that
tries to portray an image of being the hero it will be prolonged for a long time.
of his time
200 yen is written multiple times. The 200 yen written in the center is
especially powerful. Basquiat infuses emphasis by placing 200 yen in a black
box and then giving it a white border. The artist Basquiat used this as a way to
subtlety as possibly implying that there is a price tag on the Black people in
Hollywood, even himself, and that this price tag of 200 yen is controlled by
the white border.
Hollywood star footprints he It is unique how Basquiat used the colour
labelled the footprints as it represent pink and drew his signature sign. He used
the Hollywood walk of fame. He the sign of the crown since he was a graffiti
added elements of Hollywood as artist. The fact that he drew it above the
such. He also mentioned Paw as he 200 yen shows how he tries to convey the
had an accident when he was young message of how he is the king who was
where he injured his arm. able to achieve the price tag for black
people to make it in the industry.
He additionally paints a trio of figures: the artist himself, the rap
artist Rammellzee, and the painter toxic, who had gone with him
from New York to Los Angeles.. Basquiat frequently crossed out
words or expressions in his works. In his artwork, he clarified
that he was really intending to direct thoughtfulness regarding
them, "I cross out words so you will see them more; the fact that
they are obscured makes you want to read them. This may have
been done to communicate that he way the Black people felt in
Toxic Rammellzee Jean Michel Basquiat Hollywood in the 1940s were underrated.
Analysis of formal quality- jean Michel Basquiat
Colour
Minimal colours has been used in this piece which are yellow,
green and cyan. From my interpretation, Basquiat uses yellow,
blue and green for the background to represent racial
segregation. The fact that black is not used as a colour of the
outline shows how he tries to break the stereotype. He used
blue and red and sometimes white and black. The colour blue
seems to be used as a neutral colour to link the black and white
people. This can be seem as Basquiat used blue outline to paint
himself, Rammellzee and toxic who is white. He also painted
the Hollywood footprint of fame in blue to show how there is
a equality there as there are black and white artist who have put
their prints on the floor. Lastly, he used the colour blue to
highlight the word tobacco which is generally used by both
white and black people.
Hollywood Africans Formal qualities
Movement
This piece is unique in a sense that it is different from the previous work. The movement in this piece relies mainly on the
size of the subject. From my perspective, the first thing that caught my eyes was the trio of the artist himself, the rapper
Rammellzee and the artist Toxic. I was then drawn to the drawing of the hand and how he repeat the words paw. Followed
by the words tobacco with the colour blue as the background. Then, the footprints in blue. The "200 yen" written in focus
is particularly powerful. Basquiat mixes accentuation by setting "200 yen" in a black box and afterward giving it a white
border. The artist Basquiat is discreet in perhaps suggesting that there is a marker price on the black individuals in
Hollywood, even himself, and that this marker price of "200 yen" is controlled by the white boarder. My attention is then
brought to the words surrounding the artwork like sugarcane, tax free, Heroism and the rest. I was then drawn to the
bottom left hand corner where he drew his signature drawing of a crown above the 200 yen in pink.
Hollywood Africans, 1983
Acrylic and oil stick on canvas
(213.5 213.4 cm)

Emphasis
The artist uses many ways to show emphasis on many point he tried to make. He uses size and colour to create emphasis. He used
size to emphasize the point on the trio and also the fact that this three subject are the only subject with human figures which
makes it stand out. Basquiat creates emphasize on the words by crossing it out and re-writing it allowing the audience to actually
look closely to figure out what is being written. For example, Hollywood Africans at the top of the artwork. He crossed it out and
re-wrote it to force the audience to read it. He had done it multiple times across the artwork. This technique can be found in most
of his pieces. Another word would be sugar cane he uses this word a lot to relate it to the times in which black people where
made to be slaves and where forced to work in sugarcane fields. The colours of the words also makes a big difference in emphasis.
Basquiat used white font colour in the black box where he mentioned 200 yen this shows how he tries to emphasize on that as it
stands out more. Basquiat also used pink font colour on the bottom left side of the artwork , he tried to make it one of the main
points as he does not use the colour pink elsewhere. He used the colour blue as the background to highlight the word Tobacco
and this normally associated with black people an so is the word Gangsterism.
cultural significant Jean Michel Basquiat
In both of his artwork there is a strong message behind it. Basquiat has always been put of by the It was when he was 15 when he collaborated with his friend and started doing graffiti
fact that it was the 20th century and racism still existed. And he was very affected by it. He then under the name SAMO which stands for Same Old Shit selling a fake religion. This
revolutionized the industry by being the first recognized black artist of his time. It all started explains why his artworks look messy as he choose to adopt that style into painting.
when he was young, his mother who had been an amateur artist herself had always encouraged him After that he meet Andy Warhol which played a big role in his life causing him to grow
to do art. And as he was growing he had learn 3 different languages , Spanish , French and English as an artist and later on discovered by a art critic who then introduced him to starting
this had played a role on most of his artwork as he makes references to this languages in his works. his own gallery. After that he started doing a lot of collaboration with Andy Warhol.
There were many things that had happened to him and had appeared in his artwork a lot. For After being the first black artist to be recognized, he used his influence to start making
example, when he was 11 he had meet with an accident and broke his arm and while he was in the piece with political messages behind it, mainly racism.
hospital, his mother brought him a book the gray anatomy. There are many reference to his
Jean-Michel Basquiat and
experience in both his pieces below. Most of his work has reference to famous black artist who Andy Warhol: Ailing Ali
have had similar racial encounters and have struggled to reach the top. In some of his work, he in Fight of Life,
make pieces with no specific reason behind it and it does not have significance to racism or his 1984 (detail).
childhood. This explain why Basquiat adds random subject in his work as it is his style to do so. Acrylic on canvas,
193 x 267 cm.
Hollywood
Africans
1983
Acrylic and oil
stick on canvas
(213.5 Basquiat used a style in which he combined Primitivism, Neo-
213.4 cm) expressionism and Contemporary art. The style in which Basquiat uses is
clearly from his past as a Graffiti artist. His composition for every piece
In Italian, 1983 of work varies which makes his work unique. This can be seen even in his
Acrylic and oil
paint stick on
collaboration with Andy Warhol where his work is very obvious. He does
canvas with not plan his composition at all. He add things anywhere he likes and used
wooden supports colours that he think it looks good it. Elements of Primitivism is clearly
and five smaller visible in all his piece as he uses it as an reference to his culture. He uses
canvases painted
with ink marker , neo-expressionism in his all is pieces too. This can be seen when he
224.8 203.2 cm portray all the subjects in the painting in a roughs and vivid manner.
Analysis of Interpretation and function-Gordon Bennett
Notes to Basquiat (911)
The Notes to Basquiat: 911 series and the Camouflage series,
which reflect on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
and the war in Iraq respectively, highlight Bennetts global
perspective. The name Basquiat refers to Jean-Michel Basquiat,
an African-American graffiti artist, who painted in a similar
style.
This piece is dedicated to a recent terrorist attack that
happen at that time .He drew a painting of a plane
referring it to the 9/11 attack, an event that shocked
the world. He tries to convey this but in a subtle manner
like Basquiat, thus he tries to blend the plane in with the
background.
Bennett also drew smaller
planes to show how three
planes where used during the
attack. He drew the planes
really small to show that
people do not really remember Bennett drew the Statue of Liberty to show
the details but only the fact that the terrorist attack happened at New
that there was a terrorist
attack.
Bennett tried to imitate Arabic writing to show how it is
related to Muslim. It is repeated several times at the bottom
and he middle part of the artwork. By doing so, he tries to
show racism through this. He stereotypes and tries to relate it
to his cultural background on how people tend to stereotype
all Australian aboriginals as exotic and violent people.
Gordon Bennett Notes to Basquiat (911) 2001
synthetic polymer paint on linen 182.5 x 304.0 cm
The artist drew a book that can
be said to be the Quran from
how I interpreted it. This is to
show how the terrorist claim to
have done what they did because
it was written in the Quran . The
fact that the crown is placed
above the Quran represent how it
is looked at by terrorist, it is
believed that the Quran brings
them freedom. He used the same
type of crown that Basquiat
would draw in his work., this
links to Basquiat. This can also
be found it most of this work
relating to terrorism.
He tried to recreate the
New York landscape using
bright colour as New York
Morte means death, and the fact that
Bennett drew a grave for death itself can be associated to be a
shows the irony of the situation. What artistic state.
York. And the Statue of Liberty is a symbol
of freedom , and Bennett replacing the crown makes it ironic is the fact that freedom is This is a combination of Arabic
with the crown found in Basquiat painting. gain through killing people. writing written on top each other
forming this shape. This appears is
This could be a symbolization of how The hand here represents the hand of god
a lot of Bennetts work to do with
Basquiat was looked at as a artist that tried to because some illustrations depict god as a
terrorist attacks. The fact that it is
gain freedom from racism through his work in hand coming down from a thick cloud.
a subtle manner. And Basquiat is also the artist Bennett tries to recreate this image and link it written in red represent the anger
that he tries to evoke from his
that had an impact on him. to terrorists religious faith.
viewer about the issue of terrorism.
Analysis of formal quality- Gordon Bennett
Movement
Emphasis For this piece the movement is quite unpredictable as it varies based on the audience perspective. In
Bennett shows emphasis in many ways. One of such ways would be through my interpretation, the first thing that caught my eye was the big hand that looks like it is falling to
the use of colour. He used dark brown for the hand of God, he emphasize the ground followed by the figure that looks like the Statue of Liberty. I then noticed that she was
that god to him is someone of darker skin colour compared to what we given a different crown that looks like Basquiat signature crown. Also, I noticed the plane that looks
normal picture. This may be due to his background as a aboriginal like it was flying towards the black and white building. After which, I noticed the book with a plane
Australian. The hand is moving towards the small figures at the bottom and a crown on it. I interpreted it to the Quran. I then noticed the Arabic/ Jawi writing near
which can be interpreted as the hand of god given protection. Bennet also the plane followed by the 3 smaller planes beside the statue
tries to raise awareness about racial problems through the terrorist attack Colour of liberty. Bennett tried to create an atmosphere in which he
that happened on 9/11/2001. He emphasizes his point by drawing a Bennett uses a lot of colour and recreates the 9/11 attack with the New York landscape and
plane flying towards a building and also he drew 3 other planes in a smaller he tries to imitate the same style landmarks along with things relating to the 9/11 incident
scale to show how during the incident 3 planes crashed. He drew bones to Basquiat tries to use. He uses like the plane chasing and how it is associated to the Islamic
relate it to Morte which means death. And to add on to this, he drew a more colours compared to religion due to this terrorist act.
tombstone for death itself to show that death is the end. And terrorist have Basquiat. Bennett uses dull colour
gone to extreme extends to the point they have reach death to raise except for the colour of the New
awareness about Western support for attacking Muslims in Somalia, York landscape as he tries to
supporting Russian massacres against Muslims in Chechnya, supporting imitate New York's atmospheres.
the Indian oppression against Muslims in Kashmir, the Jewish aggression He also used bright yellow and
against Muslims in Lebanon, the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia, orange for the fire to show how
US support of Israel, and sanctions against Iraq. Bennett also used symbols depicts a dangerous scene and
like Basquiat sign off (crown) on the book that I interpret to be the holy how the terrorist act has affected
book, the Quran as it is stated that the holy war must happen if people people in the situation. Bennett
disrespect the Islam religion. Bennett used Basquiat crown to relate to the also used light shade of brown for
injustice that is happening in this situation because Basquiat was all about the hand that can be said to be
raising awareness for black people and inequality. . Bennett also drew the the hands of god. It shows how
plane on the book to show this terrorist act was done as told to in the for the Artist himself, God has a
dark skin tone to what is Gordon Bennett Notes to Basquiat
Quran.
(911) 2001 synthetic polymer paint
normally pictured such as Jesus. on linen 182.5 x 304.0 cm
Analysis of formal quality- Gordon Bennett
Shape/Proportions
The shapes that are found in this piece are
amorphous shapes. The shapes used do not
have a clearly defined shape but it still does
depict the shape of the object but in an
abstract manner, like a drawing by a child.
The shapes do not have proper proportions
when comparing the different subjects. The
propositions through out the piece is wrong
as the plane is drawn almost as big as the
Statue of Liberty. Also, the hand the
appears in the middle of the painting has a
proportions that is enormous compared to
everything else in the painting. But, this is
justified as the artist had no intentions of
Gordon Bennett Notes to Basquiat making it look realistic as he imitated
(911) 2001 synthetic polymer paint Basquiats work.
on linen 182.5 x 304.0 cm
Tone and mood
The tone and the mood Bennett tried to
evoke is mainly anger. He does this by
evoking the emotions people had when the
9/11 attack happened. The used the colour
red, orange and yellow to evoke a sense of
danger which then leads to anger as the
viewer will be reminded of the incident.
Followed by a sense of sympathy, as the
Hand with can be interpreted to be the
Hand of God coming to save the victims
who are the miniature stickman figures at
the bottom of the hand. The overall mood
he evokes would be a sense of worry as the
audience can feel the tension in the piece
causing them to sympathies and reflect on
the attack.

Composition
Compared to Basquiat, Bennett has a composition that is easier to follow even though it make it messy. The arrangement of his piece is more distinct. The subjects he drew are
given dimensions allowing the viewer to differentiate between the different subject in the painting. The composition of the piece lacks a strong focus as the main subject would
be the plane and the statue of Liberty but the composition is done in such a way that the hand is the first thing that the viewer looks at. The composition is said to be easier to
follow compared to Basquiat piece as it is clearly visible the different scenes he tries to create. Firstly, the scene of a hand falling from the sky towards the miniature stickman
figures. Followed by the New York landscape on the right hand side of the painting. Then, the scene of the 9/11 attack when the plane crashes onto a building causing chaos
which is represented by the fire around the plane. Lastly, the background with a pattern look like patterns found in the designs of a mosque followed by the Arabic/ Jawi
writing floating in mid air like birds.
 cultural significant Gordon Bennett
In his piece titled Note to Basquiat : 911, Bennett
tries to raise awareness with reference to Basquiat,
an American African artist who was well known
for raising awareness of the black community and
the injustice that goes around for black artist. Note
to Basquiat : 911 is part of a series of pieces made
by Bennett to raise awareness about the cultural
differences in the world and how it has shaped
people image of each respective religions and
culture. Bennett has made reference to his culture
of being an aboriginal Australian with reference to
famous artwork by artist such as Hans Heysen,
Margaret Preston, Imants Tillers, Vincent van
Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Colin McCahon and Jean-
Michel Basquiat. . However, Bennetts ongoing
investigation into questions of identity, opinion
and knowledge, has involved a range of subjects
drawn from both history and contemporary
culture, and both national and international
contexts. But Bennett had an different approach in
this series as he looks at the issue of racial
discrimination from different point of view, He
tried to looks at the Islam religion compared to
the aboriginal culture and why people look at them
as the Bad Guys. He does this through
comparison to another religious group with
different belief and culture.
Colin McCahon This are example of work in which Bennett
New Zealander 19191987
Victory over death 2 1970 immitted different artist style and conveyed
synthetic polymer paint on unstretched canvas messages about racial segregation. Bennett tried to
207.5 x 597.7 cm
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra imitate Basquiat style but Basquiat has a very
Gift of the New Zealand Government 1978
Colin McCahon Research & Publication Trust
weird style that cannot be imitated exactly as he
Gordon Bennett paints everything as an when he likes which is his
born Australia 1955
Self portrait (But I always wanted to be one of style making it hard for anyone to imitate his
the good guys) 1990 work. Thus, Bennett tried to imitate his style
oil on canvas
150.0 x 260.0 cm
instead of his piece but with reference to his
Private collection, Brisbane belief instead of adding elements of Basquiat
Courtesy of the artist work other then the crown and drawing the
Photography: Phillip Andrews
landscape in a distorted manner. Bennett tried to
convey his message through imitating art pieces by
famous artist.
Comparisons between Basquiat and Bennett
often focus on the artists similar backgrounds
and experiences. Both artists have an affinity with
Jazz, Rap and Hip Hop music. This influence is
seen in the rhythmic movement of Bennetts
Notes to Basquiat series. Underlying Bennetts
Vincent van Gogh
2 4 x 2 11 admiration for Basquiat is the need to re-
1888October 1888 contextualise the issues that he has explored
Bedroom in Arles ,Canvas, Paint, Oil paint throughout his career as an artist. In Notes to
Post-Impressionism, Modern art
Gordon Bennett Basquiat (Jackson Pollock and his other) 2001,
born Australia 1955
Outsider 1988 Bennett confronts these issues within a global
oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas context.
290.5 x 179.5 cm
 Comparison
In Italian compared to Hollywood Africans Notes to Basquiat (911) compared to
Differences Similarity Differences Similarity Differences
- Basquiat made this piece - No specific subject matter - Written reference to black - reference to religion/race - based of the 9/11 terrorist
after an incident where he - No specific colour scheme history - Same style of having a attack.
was doubted for stealing - Conveys the message of - Fewer colours compared to random composition - No reference to his
because he was black. racism the other 2 work - Reference to the United experience
- Reference to things that had - The emphasize of certain - Reference to famous artist states of America - Bennett tries to link it to the
nothing to do with the subject varies with size - Composition has more experience of the people
incident such as the diagram - Similar style of words then pictures. around him instead of his
of the heart. composition own experience
- Composition varies (messy/random) - More colours used and more
- More colours involved - References to his comprehendible
- More pictures compared to experience - Reference to religion then
words race
Comparison between the three pieces
In all three pieces, both artist have tried to raise awareness about race and religion. Both artist have had encounters of racial discrimination which is one of the reason that had
influence them into portraying it in through their artworks. In this piece I have selected from Gordon Bennett, he had no reference to personal experience but he tries to link it to
the experience of the people surrounding him. In both the pieces by Basquiat, he used a very unique style that he came up with and it was because he had come up with a very
different style that had caused him to gain the attention of audience. on the other hand, Bennett tried to imitate Basquiat style but its almost impossible to imitate Basquiat style as
it very random. So, he added elements of it such as the crown and the random composition. As Bennett is known for imitating famous artist work and adding his own message and
style into it. The deeper meaning behind In Italian is the fact that it is based of an actual encounter and this encounter had affected him as he was a growing artist at that time, and
despite the fact that he already has people admiring him, he had been humiliated for being suspected for stealing. Basquiat tries to convey the message and his frustration behind
racial discrimination even in the 20th century. But compared to Hollywood African, this piece is based of his experience along with other famous artist. He tries to convey the
message of racism even in the film and art industry. People would have a mindset of being respected when they in the Hollywood industry due to the fame they get but despite that
all the African American tends to not get that respect even if they are in the industry. Finally for Note to Basquiat: (911), Bennett tries to convey his message of racism from an
non- believer point of view, because as an non-believer, People would not understand the beliefs that believers have. Thus , they would assume that what the believers are doing is
wrong, not understanding their culture. This is the message Bennett tries to convey when refereed to his exotic culture as an aboriginal Australian.
My work- responding to artist
While studying the different artists, I realized that both artist had tried to convey the message of racial
and religious inequality through all their work, not only the works I had analyzed. Therefore, I had
decided to make my piece based of an protest that had happen in Malaysia while I was growing up there.
When deciding the composition and what I planned to include in my piece, I imitated Basquiat style
of adding things that come to mind first and I also intended to make a piece which looks messy. Since
I was making my piece based on the Cows head protest and the Hindraf Rally, I had added
information of both events in my piece.

1 I made many draft of the composition I wanted to

use but I ended up deciding between only two. The
first composition has a temple and a mosque side
by side along with the Malaysian flag and the body
of a pig and a cow. I had included the temple due
to the cause of the Cows head protest and the
mosque to show that the disagreement were
between the Hindus and the Muslims.
2 For my second composition, I drew the temple
slanted to show how it is being demolished. I also
added the Malaysian governments seal to show that
this is all due to the way the government itself treat
all race differently. I also drew only the pigs and
cows head to further emphasize the point I was
trying to make.
This is the final idea I come up with. Along the way, I did add more
subject to it. This piece was mainly inspired due to my past childhood
memories. During the Hindraf rally 2007, my father had participated in
the rally and got arrested for taking part in the rally; for equality among
all Malaysian especially the Indians as many Indians in Malaysia do not
have access to education due to the fact that their parents did not know
that they had to get an identity card to prove that they were born in
Malaysia thus leading many cases of Malaysian Indian not getting
education. The fact that my father went to jail for a few days along with
many other people for justice and still did not get justice till this day has
put the efforts of many who have tried to achieve peace with all other
races in Malaysia to waste.
process When deciding the colour, I choose to use the color's straight from the tube. I did not want to do blending and make the painting look
3D because I wanted it to look like a work of a child. I did so by making it look and imitating the neo-expressionism style. I choose to
use yellow and orange for the background as those are the colour used by the Hindraf organization. I then used the colour green in
between the two main subject which are the temple and the mosque in hope for growth of equality. The colour green may be interpreted
to evoke a sense of growth but I used a darker shade of green to represent the faith of the nation on the fact that Malaysia will achieve
racial equality. I also painted the pigs and cows head with blood due to the cows head protest in which a group of people march from
their homes to a temple and placed a cows head in front the temple to protest against moving the temple to a Malay populated area. I
used my brush and drip paint around the heads to represent the slashing of the cows head. The pig was also drawn as someone had also
placed a pigs head in front a mosque after the cows head protest. I painted the mosque using blue hue to represent the Muslim
Malaysian faith to their religion. Blue also evokes an impression of being right. I used oil pastels for the writings and the stickman figures.
I used 2 different colour of brown and peach to represent the skin colour of the vast majority in Malaysia. There are Muslims who are
tanner then Indians and Indians who are fairer then Muslims but despite this, there is still racial discrimination.
I then wanted to
include Jawi writing
in my painting which
translate to unity in
strength which is
ironic, given the
situation. I
experimented with
different background
and media such as
watercolor, acrylic
paint and Indian ink.
I then decided to use
the Indian ink as it is
I used a small bristle brush which most visible and it is
allowed the strokes to be clean. easier to write with it.
 I drew the logo of campaign and I had I also included the Malaysian government I had included phrases that I
cultural significant
I also wrote the words Hindraf and the
purposely blended it in with the seal. I only drew one of the tiger from the though of while I did this
background to represent how the seal to show how the government itself is piece such as the Cows head
word Banned on it to show how the organization was not acknowledged despite not intact to run a country and the protest and also included the
government had banned the Campaign. all the effort that have been put in. . injustice that happens for everyone. date to show when it
I wrote the words Hindraf but cancelled happened, which was 3 years
it out to get the attention of the viewer. I after the Hindraf rally .
imitated this technique from Basquiat
who had often used this technique in his I included the phrase from the seal in
work. I wrote it several times to show the Jawi to highlight the point of how
emphasis I tried to create. I also wrote ironic the statement is on the seal. It
Makkal Sakthi which is Hindraf s slogan translated to the unity in strength
which translates to Peoples power which is ironic because the Malaysian
The main cause of the cows head protest was government have yet to have successfully
because the government wanted to relocated a spread the message of unity between
107 year old temple to a Muslim populated people of different race and religion. I
area. And I clearly remember reading on the made the writing look as neat as
news that there will be blood if the temple possible to show emphasize on the
was constructed. This was said by the leader of irony of that saying being on the seal. I
the protest. The governments reason for moving also wrote it on the flag to emphasize
the temple was because it was illegally build on the point of how this happens in
that piece of land. It is ironic how they take Malaysia.
action after 107 years. I combined the crest from the flag with the crest
on top of the mosque to show the dominance
I drew a lot of stickman through out the
of Muslims in Malaysia.
artwork to create emphasize on how skin
colour is main cause of racial discrimination I included phrases that I had clearly
but it is ironic how there many Malays who remember when reading the news about both
are darker then Indians and Indians who are events of the cows head protest and the
lighter then Malays. Hindraf rally such as Elizabeth II and
mahatma Gandhi to show how the Hindraf
I painted a cows head and a pigs head to remind the viewers of the incident that had taken place after the Hindraf I had also included the ways in the Malaysian campaign had used the non- violence
rally. A cows head was left outside a temple due to the disagreement of the local who were told that a temple was police force had tried to get rid of the crowd approach and have tried to get the attention
to be relocated to their area which was known to be a Malay populated area. After this, someone had put a Pigs such as the use of water canons and tear gas to of the Queen of England to make a
head in front a mosque. This shows the nature of all Malaysian which is the case of this never ending racial highlight and evoke a sense of violence. difference.
discrimination.
Comparison

For the formal qualities, I imitated style from both the artist. I choose to have a messy and unplanned composition but I did not
do it the same way Basquiat did it as, I did have an initial plan but I did not follow it strictly when I executed it, making it look
more like Bennetts piece. I chose to imitate the background from Basquiat piece where his background does not have a fix
composition. I imitated Bennett's piece by including Arabic/ Jawi writing in my work. I tried to convey the message of racial
discrimination that had and still is happening in Malaysia. I imitated Basquiats Hollywood African were he wrote words and
phrases that he though related to the message he tried to convey like sugarcane and more. For the deeper meaning behind this
piece, I did try to convey the message of racism like Bennett and Basquiat but I did it based of an encounter and events that had
the whole of Malaysia talking. But, it was mainly based of my point of view of the situation. As a whole, I made this piece to
question the effort of the people who have tried to stop racial discrimination. Some have claim to have succeeded but this does
not mean that racism still does not exist. Racism existed from the time at which Basquiat started making art and he was affected
by the fact that it still existed during his time which was during the 20th century. A century has passed by nothing has change.
 References
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/feb/12/life-art-jean-michel-basquiat
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-seed/basquiat_b_2750666.html
http://tist-who-scaled-heights-of-artworld/default.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/gordon-bennett-explored-indigenous-past-through-his-conceptual-art-
20140627-zsnql.html
http://artasiapacific.com/News/GordonBennettPioneerIndigenousAustralianArtistDiesAt58
http://ineedartandcoffee.blogspot.sg/2012/05/blinded-by-spite-basquiat-and-oblivious.html
http://www.widewalls.ch/street-art-legends-best-of-basquiat-art/profit-i-1982/
http://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/gordon-bennett-home-d-cor-after-margaret-preston
https://rpvtp.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/conflict-violence-peace-art-notes-to-basquiat-2001-by-gordon-bennett-
week-3/
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gordonbennett/education/04.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2ytkFDzdbk