Anatomy, Thyroid
Anatomy, Thyroid
Signed Print
Jean-Michel Basquiat
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Screen print, 1982, on Arches 88. Signed and numbered in an edition of 18. S. 76.5 x 56.5 cm (30 1/8 x 22¼ in.).
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Meaning & Analysis
This print depicts a head and neck in profile, with multiple annotations indicating the position of body parts such as the trachea, the hyoid bone and cricoine cartilage. The fastidiously-annotated sketch recalls Anterior View and View Of Base Of Skull from the same series.
Whilst the attention to detail in the labelling of the anatomy is highly evocative of the medical diagrams of Gray’s Anatomy, the expressive drawing style and orthographic experimentation is trademark Basquiat. This playful approach to spelling is often attributed to the influence of Cy Twombly, who experimented with handwriting extensively in his paintings.
It would be appropriate to conclude that the artist's life experiences had a significant impact on the myriad anatomical depictions of various kinds found in his work, ranging from the close-up depictions of skulls such as in Head (1983), to the series of diagrammatic depictions of the human body of which this print forms part.
