Net Weight - Jean-Michel Basquiat
Archival giclée
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Description
A powerful 1981 work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, featuring his signature blend of raw gestural marks, cryptic symbols, and mask-like figures on canvas.
Net Weight (1981) is a characteristic example of Jean-Michel Basquiat's early period, executed during his rapid ascent within the New York art scene. The work displays the artist's signature approach to layering, where raw, unprimed canvas serves as a base for a chaotic assembly of marks, symbols, and text. Basquiat employs a combination of acrylic paint, oilstick, and spray paint to construct a visual language that draws from diverse sources, including anatomical diagrams, urban graffiti, and historical references.
The composition is divided into distinct zones of colour and activity. To the left, blocks of red and yellow provide a backdrop for mask-like figures, a recurring motif in the artist's work. These figures, often crowned, suggest a preoccupation with power, identity, and the status of the individual within a complex social structure. The right side of the canvas is dominated by darker, more gestural forms, contrasted against a stark white field. Throughout the piece, Basquiat incorporates grids, crossed-out words, and cryptic notations, which function as both structural elements and conceptual interruptions.
Basquiat's technique involves a deliberate rejection of traditional painterly polish. He allows drips, smudges, and exposed canvas to remain visible, maintaining a sense of immediacy and urgency. The inclusion of the title 'PESO NETO' and the date 'DEC 25 81' at the bottom of the canvas anchors the work in a specific moment, while the surrounding iconography remains open to interpretation. This piece demonstrates the artist's ability to synthesise disparate cultural influences into a cohesive, albeit frenetic, visual statement. The work remains a primary example of how Basquiat utilised the canvas as a site for social commentary and personal expression, blending the aesthetics of the street with the traditions of fine art.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Net Weight - Jean-Michel Basquiat
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