Artist of the Month: Jean-Michel Basquiat

Last week in art class, I introduced our Artist of the Month: Jean-Michel Basquiat!

Since we are celebrating Black History Month, I wanted to highlight an artist who not only had a bold and unique style, but who also helped open doors for a new generation of Black artists. Basquiat was a very controversial artist in his time, but he always stayed true to his own voice. His artwork was full of energy, meaning, and incredibly vibrant colors. The students were especially amazed when they learned that in 2017, one of Basquiat’s paintings sold for 110 million dollars! Their jaws literally dropped.

Basquiat and his 110 million dollar painting!

To make the lesson even more fun, I showed them a Basquiat-inspired drawing I created during a workshop and asked them, “How much do you think I could sell this for?” Of course, they all said it was worth thousands of dollars and that I should definitely try selling it. (We had a good laugh!) 

After a short introduction about Basquiat’s life, we began working the way he often did: with strong, vivid colors. The students used oil pastels to create a colorful base layer. This was the first step in preparing for next week’s project: Scratch Art, a really exciting technique where artists create several layers of color, and then cover everything with a dark layer, usually black. After that, they use a wooden stick or a pointed tool to scratch away parts of the black layer, revealing the bright colors underneath. Next week, our students will get to try this part—and I know they are going to love it!

Some students finished their colorful backgrounds early, so they began creating self-portraits inspired by Basquiat. They used bold colors and added thick black lines to outline their faces and features, just like Basquiat often did. The results were expressive, creative, and full of personality!

On Wednesday, with our first graders, we worked on creating shapes and figures using colored paper. They were incredibly creative, cutting, arranging, and inventing their own characters and designs. It was so fun to see how each student had a completely different idea!

That same day in Art Club, the kids discovered my magic texture machine—and they were thrilled!

They couldn’t wait to try making textures like hearts, flowers, butterflies, and more. Once they had their textured pieces, they pressed them into colorful clay and created all kinds of unique figures and designs. It was definitely one of the highlights of the week!

On Thursday, we had a special visit from my colleague Ms. Villalba, and we explored Basquiat in a different way by experimenting with multiple materials: tempera paint,  spray watercolors, and oil pastels. Mixing techniques gave them the chance to explore texture and color even more freely—just like Basquiat did in his own artwork.

Next week, we will finish our Basquiat-inspired creations, and I can’t wait to see the final results. I know the artworks will be vibrant, bold, and full of personality, just like Basquiat’s style. It’s been a wonderful way to celebrate Black History Month while learning about an artist who made history through creativity, courage, and originality. Stay tuned, our classroom is about to get even more colorful!