Anatomy, Ligaments Of The Elbow
Anatomy, Ligaments Of The Elbow
Signed Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Screenprint, 1982
Signed Print Edition of 18
H 76cm x W 56cm
Critical Review
Ligaments Of The Elbow, printed on Arches 88 paper, presents spindly sketches of the ligaments with an annotation reading “Ligaments of the elbow and superior radioulnar joints”. The drawings capture the vulnerability of the body parts with fragile, spindly lines. The fragility of the ligaments is emphasised by the decided two-dimensionality of the sketches. The rendering of the bones is almost cartoon-like in its simplicity.
Basquiat was only eight years old when he suffered severe injuries in a road accident which saw him hospitalised for a lengthy period. It was at this point that his mother introduced him to Gray’s Anatomy with the hope that it would help him understand his injuries. Leonardo da Vinci is another key influence here. Basquiat took great inspiration from the Italian master’s painstaking anatomical drawings who dissected over 30 corpses to create intricate diagrams of the human form.
