Jared Bernstein

Style of Basquiat "Universal" graffiti art

2020

“Art is something that stimulates an individual's thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or ideas through the senses.” I was born in Baltimore, MD and grew up in a secular home in southern New Jersey. In the 1980s I moved to Manhattan and here it was that I was first introduced to the influential artists of the period. At a very young age I began to experiment with various art forms including painting, photography and poetry. These art forms, although very different, have a common denominator. They all require that the artist embrace the process while simultaneously letting go. I have studied by observation, I am an autodidact; an “Outsider artist”, a follower of Jean Dubuffet. I rely solely on instinct and intuition. My work evolves from the unconscious. As Robert Rauschenberg famously stated “painting relates to both art and life”. Whether painting or writing, I express my hidden world, my inner voice. Through imagery and words, I track my internal journey and concretize my emotional narratives. This empowers me to reframe deep-seated feelings and passions. The creative process helps reconcile my inner conflicts and enables me to share the spectrum of my feelings and thoughts with the viewer. This process is a confrontation with my identity, an exploration of my fear, an act of courage, and an ultimate spiritual triumph—all central to the human experience. I search in my work, whether poetry, photography or painting, the humanistic approach. My work is free flowing and raw, reminiscent of the works by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The primeval imagery and universality free me to explore my creative life without judgment. The years 2018 - 2021 were a time of growth, exploration and self-discovery. It was during this period that I painted extensively and understood that my self revelations have a universal message. The viewer may enter my unique world which in turn will hopefully become a self-enlightening experience. The goal is not to explore the artist’s emotions, rather to identify (or not to identify) with the underlying experience of the painting and how it touches the viewer.