This painting came from studying Jean-Michel Basquiat and the way he used figures, crowns, skulls, text, and rough marks to talk about power. I was not trying to copy one of his paintings exactly, but I wanted to take some of his visual language and move it into a current issue. The monitor-headed skeleton is about how social media, algorithms, and technology can turn attention into something that gets used up. I liked the idea of the figure still looking human, but also looking emptied out, like the screen has replaced the head and the body is only there to be drained. The crown connects back to Basquiat, but mine says “loading,” so it feels less like royalty and more like control.

I used acrylic on board because I wanted the surface to stay rough and direct. The background is loud on purpose, with yellow, black, red, green, blue, and pink pushing against each other instead of sitting neatly. I used harsh contour lines, splatters, drips, and unblended paint to make the figure feel unstable. The skull inside the monitor connects to Basquiat’s use of exposed heads and anatomy, but I changed it into a digital image instead of a human face. The red cable-like lines coming out of the eyes became one of the main parts of the composition because they make it look like attention or thought is being pulled out of the figure. I also added the cardboard crown instead of painting it flat, because the real material made it feel more artificial and awkward.

This piece made me understand artist influence differently. I used to think being inspired by an artist meant making something that looked close to their work, but here it was more about borrowing certain tools and changing the subject. Basquiat’s work gave me a way to think about symbols, text, and roughness, but my painting became about technology and attention instead of his specific historical context. The hardest part was keeping the painting readable while still making it chaotic. I learned that text can do more than explain an artwork after the fact. Words like “ERROR” and “NOT 4 $@LE” became part of the composition itself, almost like interruptions on the surface.