Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) began his artistic career as a graffiti artist in the late 1970s before rising to international fame in the early 80s. Basquiat drew on many sources in his art, including world mythology, anatomy textbooks, philosophy, Leonardo da Vinci 's notebooks, African and Native American imagery, and poetry. His work is often considered to be exploring dichotomies, such as wealth an poverty, integration and separation, internal and external experience. Although Basquiat resisted being labeled a "black artist", social commentary runs through much of his work. This untitled painting, widely known as fallen angel, contains many elements typical of Basquiat 's paintings. It has bright colors, combined use of sharp