The Radiant Child By Tamra Davis

The Radiant Child, directed by Tamra Davis, offers a fascinating and enlightening story behind Jean-Michel Basquiat, an artist that died young and left a massive impact on the art world. A man famous for his exaggerated and shocking paintings, Basquiat was best at evoking strong emotion from those that viewed his work. Enter Roland Barthes and the concept of bliss and pleasure within a text—the two works match up almost perfectly. Through usage of eerily foreboding text and, in contrast, light and almost childlike symbols, Basquiat’s piece Charles the First successfully captures the duality of art in the public eye.
One of the most fascinating elements of Basquiat’s Charles the First is the writing at the very base of the painting: “most young
It shows up six separate times within the image—seven, if one counts the crossed-out “s” within the “most young kings” line. It’s fascinating because of the way that this letter is presented—there are several of them presented in graffiti-esque style, though one of them is crossed out. It’s a simple and yet poignant callback to the way that Basquiat began, and also adds an element of relatability to the image; that type of S is something that many children learn how to draw at an early age, and take pride in being able to create. Although it’s something that older viewers associate with graffiti (and, thusly, gangs, violence, etc.), it offers a sense of pleasure to a younger audience—something recognizable, something that they can relate to despite the fact that it was painted over thirty years ago. Another relatable/pleasurable/comfortable aspect of the painting? The appearance of what looks to be a Superman “S” in the left column. There are several references to comic books within this piece, most notably the word “THOR” beneath the crown in the top left corner. But the usage of the Superman “S” is a fantastic way to imbue a sense of strength and power into an image composed mostly of dismembered body parts and scribbled-out words; it’s got two layers to it—red at the bottom, black on the surface—continues the theme of jarring blackness upon light/pale colors. (The commentary here can be explored much more effectively, but unfortunately doesn’t relate to the topic at hand.) Through familiar, youthful imagery scattered within Charles the First, Basquiat achieves a pleasurable, comforting element to his otherwise-unsettling work in his time; this simple choice, using S in two of its most common and childlike iterations, offers an almost gentle response to the aggressive style that he excels in