I have always been a fan of the artist Basquiat. I saw an exhibit of his work when I was in college and was fascinated with his story. He, much like Frida Kahlo, experienced a painful accident in his youth. To help him deal with the anxiety of it all he started studying medical books and learning about how bones and muscles worked. He incorporated that knowledge into many of his works.
As a teen, he started spray painting the most incredible graffiti people in New York had seen. That was actually how he was discovered. This book:
talks about his life growing up and how he developed natural talents. He was encouraged by his mother to pursue the arts.
We looked at some of the works by this artist and discussed how even paintings that are scary and even ugly can also be beautiful. We talked about how art is defined.
Then the kids drew using some of the techniques Basquiat incorporated-he used a crown to denote respect and often drew bones/skulls:
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