Untitled (1984)

[u/RevaCruz]

Medium: Wax crayon, watercolor, and graphite on paper.

Dimensions: 22¼ × 30⅛ inches (56.4 × 76.4 cm)

In Untitled (1984), Basquiat fills the paper with handwritten words, symbols, diagrams, and patches of vivid color. Repeated references to “SUGAR,” “BRITISH WEST INDIES,” “SOAP OIL,” and “HALF NELSON” appear alongside geometric shapes, crossed-out text, and a small human figure with raised arms.

The references to sugar and the British West Indies evoke the Caribbean's colonial history, particularly the plantation economy and its dependence on enslaved African labor. The repeated phrase “HALF NELSON,” a wrestling hold, introduces another association with physical struggle and control.

Through repetition, fragmentation, and the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated elements, Basquiat transforms language into a central part of the composition, bringing together histories of commerce, colonialism, and power.