the superlative subjunctive: Whitman and Basquiat: Similarly Dissimilar

Walt Whitman was arguably the most influential poet in American history. Today, it would be difficult to compare anyone to an artist so influential, and few titans similar to Whitman exist in any field for that matter. However, it would be unreasonable to neglect the influence and nuance of an artist so similar to Whitman as Jean-Michel Basquiat. The similarities go far beyond Basquiat and Whitman’s comparable legendary status in America’s artistic history. Whitman and Basquiat possessed similarities in the contemporary and revolutionary qualities of their work, in the themes they explored, especially in regards to individualism, and in the influence and legacy they left behind, as artists, and commentators on American society.

Whitman and Basquiat’s works were imbued with innovation and revolutionary style. Whitman broke away from the immensely popular fireside poets, deviating far from the conventional aspects of their poetry. Whitman’s poetry was almost void of any meter, rhyme of any sort, and musicality. This open form of poetry was referred to as free verse. For his use of it, Whitman was given the nickname, “The Father of Free Verse”. Though Whitman himself did not necessarily invent free verse, his was the first to massively popularize its use. In addition to the untraditional form of Whitman’s poetry, his content was also radical. In his works, Whitman discussed controversial current events such as the abolitionist movement, which he supported, and prostitution in America. He blatantly discussed and examined provocative themes such as sexuality, the beauty in embracing death, and vivid violence in his poetry. Further, in depicting these themes and discussing the issues that defined Whitman’s America, he used explicit and vivid imagery, rarely shying away from avant-garde scenes. For example, “Song of Myself”, Whitman depicts his homosexuality, and goes so far as to partially describe an orgy, “Twenty-eight young men bathe by the shore, Twenty-eight young men and all so friendly… She owns the fine house by the rise of the bank, She hides handsome and richly drest aft the blinds of the window… They do not know who puffs and declines with pendant and bending arch, They do not think whom they souse with spray.” (Whitman, Canto eleven). Despite the apparent homophobia and the taboo of discussing coitus, Whitman goes in depth with his description of a homosexual orgy. In this sense, Whitman was an absolute social revolutionary in his work. In addition, Whitman does not incorporate himself, the author, as a character in this canto. He goes so far as to switch the subject of the poem to a “She”, although it was initially “I” (genius.com). In doing so, Whitman evades the typical direct relationship between reader and writer, and disassociates himself from his work. Consequently, the audience is left to discover a more direct, personal, and unique relationship with the work itself, rather than the author. This uncommon tactic resembles Basquiat’s work. In Irony of A Negro Policeman, Basquiat hints at his audience by displaying a half written word, as if it were erased. Similarly to Whitman, Basquiat uses this strategy to encourage the audience to examine their own personal interpretation of what the word might symbolize. Basquiat disassociates himself from his work, and facilitates a more direct, personal, and subjective interpretation of his work within his audience. Basquiat not only used similar, clever tactics as Whitman did, but additionally discussed similarly avante-garde topics, and displayed provocative and explicit imagery in his work. Basquiat’s work was often described as “primitive”, and graffiti like. He discussed sensitive issues, such as the “Irony of A Negro Policeman”, and explored themes similar to Whitman in his commentary on race, specifically, and sexuality (depicting genitalia in works such as Warrior). In their depiction of provocative themes and imagery, and almost identical means of manipulating the relationship between their audience and art, Whitman and Basquiat were remarkably similar.

Basquiat and Whitman shared a similar straightforward manner in their approach to their work, and in the manner that they commented on the world around them. While many other artists such as the fireside poets indirectly commented and criticized social society in America through overarching morals in their poetry, Whitman addressed the social follies of his day almost head on. Similarly, Basquiat’s contemporary, Andy Warhol indirectly criticized and commented on the absurdity of consumerism in taking everyday images and manipulating them to suit a different vantage, as instant art (Mom). Whereas Basquiat blatantly scrutinized and criticized the world around him, in a much more literal manner. In Irony of a Negro Policeman, Basquiat comments on the irony of a policeman being black, and criticizes his own race, pointing out how blacks are controlled by the white majority in America, and that there is irony in a black man working to enforce these rules which were meant to oppress him. Basquiat gets to the heart of the matter, and goes so far as to title his work based on the social commentary it depicts. Further, he writes the title on the actual painting, and rewrites the word “irony” above it, and displays an image of a naive, laughably stupid looking black policeman grinning. His work could hardly be more literal. Similarly, Whitman commented on the issues of his time in an uncommonly literal manner. In “Song of Myself”, Whitman writes, “I am the hounded slave, I wince at the bite of the dogs, Hell and despair are upon me, crack and again crack the Marksmen, I clutch the rails of the fence, my gore dribs, thinn'd with the Ooze of my skin,” (Whitman, Canto 33). Whitman switches in this canto from using “he” as the subject to “I”, and in doing so, Whitman represents his empathy and pity for the slaves of America, demonstrating his support for the abolitionist cause. His prose-like writing makes for particularly harsh imagery. Consequently, the detailed violence and gore he uses to describe himself as a slave is all the more effective and moving. Basquiat and Whitman resembled each other, in the straightforward manner in which they produced their work, and in the no nonsense commentary they offered on the social constructs of their day.

A particularly contemporary aspect of their art was the role individualism played in Basquiat and Whitman’s work. Both artists demonstrated the importance of individualism, addressing not only their personal relationship with identity but also the significance of individuality within their audience and the common man. Whitman’s lifelong work, “Song of Myself” , demonstrates the importance of individualism, “These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, They are not original with me, If they are not yours as much as mine they are nothing, or Next to nothing,” (Whitman, Canto 17). In this canto, Whitman declares “These”, his own thoughts, as “the thought of all men… not original with me,”. Whitman brings the audience attention to his thoughts, and while they are not unique to himself, the fact that he has them, and came to them on his own, shows how they represent himself, and therefore his identity. He then goes to relate identity to his audience, reflecting how his own thoughts are those of “all men”. Whitman demonstrates the importance of his audience individual identities, in addition to his own. Basquiat similarly discussed the identity of the common man in his paintings. Basquiat commonly depicted imagery of halos, crowns, and other headgear as a form of lauding the individual. In Irony of A Negro Policeman, he depicts a police officer wearing a large top hat, demonstrating the individual power and pride the policeman holds. In praising a common policeman, Basquiat emphasizes the individuality of a common man, similarly to Whitman. Further, in other works of Basquiat, he depicts himself and his large, spiky hair, which resembles a crown. In depicting his crown-like hair (in works such as Heel), he praises and idealizes himself, as an individual. This resembled how Whitman commented on both himself and his audience as individuals in “Song of Myself”. Both Basquiat and Whitman’s commentary on individualism, in regards to themselves and their audiences demonstrates a clear similarity between the two artists.

Were they really so similar in every way? Absolutely not. The fact of the matter is, the similarity between the two mostly lies in how unlike they are to anyone else before them. One of the largest conceivable differences between Basquiat and Whitman would be the clarity of their messages. Despite their similar delivery, Basquiat’s commentaries in his works are much harder to decipher, described by Marc Mayer as “dodging the full impact of clarity like a matador... we cannot quite fathom the point they belabor.”. In this sense, you could argue Basquiat is similar to Dickinson, in his no-nonsense artistic language, but evasive and abstract meaning. However, both Whitman and Basquiat's legacy influences artists worldwide in a likewise fashion today, in there similar denial of traditional artistic method. Ultimately, Basquiat and Whitman’s unconventionally straightforward method of commentary on individualism and identity, and their comparable criticism of the world around them demonstrate an undeniably similar art.