{"type":"artobject","objectid":25843,"objectnumber":"L.1989.1.1","sortnumber":"1989    1L    1","displaytitle":"Poison Oasis","department":"Modern and Contemporary Art","classification":"Paintings","datebegin":1981,"dateend":0,"datecomputed":null,"daterange":"","displaydate":"1981","medium":"Acrylic, oil crayon, and paper on canvas","dimensions":"167.6 × 244 × 4.1 cm (66 × 96 1/16 × 1 5/8 in.)","dimensionsproposed":"","creditline":"Schorr Collections","markings":null,"inscribed":null,"signed":null,"catalograisonne":null,"creditlinerepro":"© The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, licensed by Artestar, New York","restrictions":"Restricted","nowebuse":"True","secondaryobjectnumber":null,"campuscollections":"false","on_view":false,"accessionyear":null,"newaccession":0,"titles":[{"title":"Poison Oasis","titletype":"Primary Title","displayorder":1}],"makers":[{"id":265,"displayname":"Jean-Michel Basquiat","displaydate":"1960–1988; born Brooklyn, NY; died New York, NY; active New York","datebegin":1960,"dateend":1988,"prefix":null,"suffix":null,"role":"Artist","displaymaker":"Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1960–1988; born Brooklyn, NY; died New York, NY; active New York","displayorder":1}],"depicted":[],"texts":[{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Special Exhibition","textentryhtml":"Basquiat drew on wide-ranging influences—graffiti, Picasso, break dancing, rap music, and African and Greek cultures—to create new forms of figuration and abstraction. This work centers on a full-length male that evokes the image of Christ but is also considered Basquiat’s first major self-portrait. With a crown of thorns, he stands in a vague landscape between a coiled snake and a seemingly decomposing cow. Hints of sky and tonal variation create an atmospheric space while the strident red, orange, and yellow fields allude to upheaval. Interspersed among arrows are the Greek letters alpha and omega. In the New Testament, these symbolize “the beginning and the ending”—and the belief that Jesus has existed for all eternity. Basquiat’s figure, however, appears deeply aware of his own mortality.","remarks":"Hold: A Meditation on Black Aesthetics"}],"media":[{"id":12965,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/L1989-1-1","isprimary":1,"rank":0,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":"Restricted","caption":"Bruce White photography"},{"id":125028,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/INV48032","isprimary":0,"rank":1,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":"Restricted","caption":"Inventory Project"}],"hasimage":"true","bibliography":[],"exhibitions":[{"exhibitionid":3379,"citation":"Hold: A Meditation on Black Aesthetics (Princeton University Art Museum,  November 4, 2017–February 11, 2018)\r\n","isvirtual":true,"begindate":"2017-11-04","enddate":"2018-02-11","uri":"https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/art/exhibitions/3379"}],"geography":[],"terms":[{"id":2038492,"term":"American","aatid":300107956,"termtype":"Culture"},{"id":2052977,"term":"paintings","aatid":300033618,"termtype":"Classification"}],"classifications":[{"id":2052977,"classification":"paintings"}],"cultures":[],"cultureterms":[{"id":2038492,"culture":"American"}],"periods":[],"periodterms":[],"attribute_groups":[],"dimensionelements":[{"element":"Overall","type":"Depth","units":"centimeters","dimension":"4.12"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Width","units":"centimeters","dimension":"243.99"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Height","units":"centimeters","dimension":"167.63"}],"packages":[{"packageid":196672,"name":"CRS_2020_ElenaFratto_too big"},{"packageid":154755,"name":"web_2019_MM_FigureAbstracted"}],"primaryimage":["https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/L1989-1-1"],"displaymaker":"Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1960–1988; born Brooklyn, NY; died New York, NY; active New York","displayculture":null,"displayperiod":null,"caption":"Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988, born Brooklyn, NY; died New York, NY; active New York), Poison Oasis, 1981. Acrylic, oil crayon, and paper on canvas; 167.6 × 244 × 4.1 cm. Schorr Collections (L.1989.1.1)","captionhtml":"Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988, born Brooklyn, NY; died New York, NY; active New York), <i>Poison Oasis</i>, 1981. Acrylic, oil crayon, and paper on canvas; 167.6 × 244 × 4.1 cm. Schorr Collections (L.1989.1.1)","published_date":"2026-02-11 10:07:08.650503","campusart":[{"campuscollections":"false","campusart":0,"neighborhood":null,"lat":null,"lon":null}],"extended_content":false}