From the 1940s to the present day, we’ve unearthed why artists revel in figuration — in their own words

topcat77: Jean-Michel Basquiat - SEESelf | Basquiat art, Art inspiration, Psychedelic art

Photo editor: PicMonkey. A photo edited with PicMonkey

In Basquiat's pictorial universe, this little dinosaur showing its teeth and widening red eyes is a real icon, it's like a nod to the world of childhood. Basquiat was a committed artist who used his art to denounce the injustices and inequalities of society. Basquiat is the greatest exponent of the artistic rebellion that rocked the art world in the 80s and continues to captivate art lovers around the world. • Paper thickness: 0.26 mm (10.3 mil) • Paper weight: 189 g/m² • Opacity: 94% • ISO…

The painting has been held in private collection since 1990, when it was acquired from Stéphane Janssen, the son of a wealthy Belgian industrialist and a tireless advocate for the CoBrA movement, who bought it from Larry Gagosian while visiting Basquiat’s studio the year it was created.