The Story of a Young Minority Painter’s Journey dealing with Fame, Scrutiny, and Acclaim
Being an outcast and setting a precedent is never an easy journey and the repercussions of doing so are not guaranteed to be positive. Filmmaker Tamra Davis set out to portray the life and journey of a New York City painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat. The movie depicted his life and the struggles he dealt with when he was pursuing a career in a predominantly white industry. Davis shined a spotlight on how the young painter dealt with being the black sheep in the industry, scrutiny, and how he overcame obstacles to rise to fame. In this review I will highlight key points in the documentary that were powerful in conveying the message Tamra Davis was trying to show, as well as my own opinions of the documentary.
The movie discusses Jean- Michel Basquiat’s rise to fame with home footage interviews with Davis recorded before his death, along with friends and family describing his life and artwork. In these old home interviews, Jean discusses his artwork’s meaning, favorite paintings, and memories that inspired his work, but the movie intervenes with more recent interviews with characters in Jean’s life that help support claims of Jean’s work and rise to success.
Jean- Michel Basquiat was an unorthodox artist who used bright colors, jagged edges, crossed-out words, and streaks of black in his work. This documentary film gives the audience an understanding of how talented and special Jean was, but what’s ironic is the film shows so many pieces of Jean’s work zoomed in and out (with a blues soundtrack playing in the back) but moving so the viewers are unable to get a favorable view but rather a brief glimpse. The movie does not give you time to study and consider it. I had to look up the paintings online to have the full view and time to really consider each piece and its unique details. The movie failed to give the viewers the time to appreciate this young artist’s work.
Unlike many documentary films, The Radiant Child does mix in the actual biographical and critical content with its acclaim. We are told about his early years that led to his heroin overdose death in 1988. We learn about his life on “the run,” meeting Andy Warhol, his relationships, and even how he overcame discrimination. We learn about Basquiat’s art technique with his graffiti, flashy, abstract pieces that defined his famous style. The movie has very dark spots parts but ultimately pays tribute to the renowned, black artist who rose to fame with his abstract art.
What I discovered throughout watching this film is nobody really discussed why Jean’s paintings were so popular and in demand. The film did not give examples of how audiences or collectors acted towards Jean’s work. Looking at some of his paintings, you don’t notice the actual work put in, you just see lines, colorful objects, and words that looked like something a child could draw or write. I personally do not understand the artistic work behind his drawings, and I am not sure if that is due to my lack of knowledge about art or the fact that everyone interprets art differently. As somebody with no previous knowledge of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work, I was very surprised at the fame that arose from his abstract art, especially because he was a young, black artist in a white-dominated art world.
If you are looking for entertainment, this probably is not the best film for you, however, if you are looking to learn more about pop-culture art, you will be interested in this film. The film is a decent tribute to artist Jean- Michel Basquiat that incorporates personal footage and historical artwork. I enjoyed the film from an educational perspective, but as far as entertainment, this movie could possibly put you in a deep sleep. This movie came out fairly recently back in 2010 and the cinematography was not helping retain the viewers’ attention with the old looking scene pans. The constant interviews, pictures with captions, and blues music was not captivating, and the lack of a narrator made me feel like there was not a consistent storyline, I felt it was all over the place. With that being said, the movie does not define Jean-Michel Basquiat but rather Jean-Michel Basquiat defines himself through his artwork. Basquiat’s work was defiant, thoughtful, and revolutionary during his lifetime, he helped open the door for young black aspiring artists. The Radiant Child is a decent documentary to learn about Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life and work.
