‘Da Vinci’s Water Theory’ 1983

Jean-Michel Basquiat made ‘Da Vinci’s Water Theory’ using loose brushstrokes and a striking palette. The figure is built from color. It’s so process-oriented. Basquiat's texture is visceral here, a real sense of the hand. The mustard yellow jumps out against the deep blue ground, and the smudges of red give it a real punch. Look at the way he renders the hands. They're almost skeletal, with quick, nervous lines that speak to a raw emotionality. You can almost feel him working through something, right there on the canvas. It’s not about perfection, but about this urgency, this need to get it down. Basquiat reminds me of Cy Twombly – that same energy, that love of the scrawl, but with a whole different vibe, a different story to tell. For both artists, it’s about embracing the mess, the ambiguity. Art isn't a closed book. It’s an open question.