The Figure V

The figure's body is drawn in vertical stripes of orange, yellow and red, giving the impression of a patterned suit, and a circular target sits at the waist like a belt buckle. Both hands are filled in black, with spread, claw-like fingers. The face, with wide eyes and a row of teeth, is ringed in white and pale blue, and turquoise strokes rise from the head towards the top of the sheet.

The setting is more urban than in The Figure I or The Figure II. A block of windows in the upper left suggests an apartment building, and panels filled with the letter “S” and rows of numbers on the right recall ledgers or signage. A turquoise line frames much of the composition, separating the figure from the background without enclosing it. A dotted triangle, the motif shared across the series, appears to the lower right. The raised arm can be read as a greeting or a gesture of defiance, and Basquiat leaves the meaning open. The portfolio as a whole reflects his interest in the single standing figure, a format he returned to repeatedly in the early 1980s to address questions of identity and visibility.