Scribbled Lives Week 9—The 80s

This week, SL members took a trip back to the 80s: the era of New Wave, punk rock, funk, and preppy. Rap music and breakdancing. Madonna, Michael Jackson, and The Cure. Moviegoers lined up for The Outsiders, Dead Poets Society, and Stand by Me. TV served up Mash, The Waltons, and Star Trek. Popular fashion trends were leg warmers, neon colours, and shoulder pads. Remember big hair? Acid rain was in the air. Graffiti and neo-expressionism was the writing on the wall.

In 1981 I took my first calligraphy class and was just learning about art. Admittedly, street art and graffiti are out of my orbit, but I was curious to learn more about neo-expressionism, an art movement characterized by intense colours and social commentary.

I focussed on the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), having learned about him in classes about conceptual art and seeing his work exhibited at The Broad in Los Angeles.

After looking at the tortured faces he painted, I opted for a more searching expression instead. This is not the first time I’ve bitten off more than I could chew, but onward… I found the style of Marco Serrot more accessible, in particular a canvas titled “Besoin”, a painting of a man’s face. Since today is International Women’s Day, I attempted to feature a woman’s face. After several failures, I resorted to copying “Besoin” to learn techniques before trying again.

I’m more satisfied with the man’s face than the woman’s, and, after investing so much effort, decided to share her face too. Incidentally, despite the emerging prominence of feminism during the 80’s, female artists were largely nudged out of neo-expressionism exhibitions.

The lettering is in the style of Basquiat; the gold crown was his signature once he became recognized as an established artist.

No one can say I missed my calling, but it was intriguing to explore this 80s art movement!

Watercolour, gouache, and coloured pencils on Fabriano 140 lb. cold press watercolour paper. I attempted to use collage, but that’s another story!