FRIEND'S ARTISTIC PERSPECTIVE ENRICHES LOW-KEY `BASQUIAT'.

Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic

``Basquiat'' follows the usual path of doomed-artist film biographies. But the scenery along this one's way appears fresh and natural.

That's most likely due to the fact that this movie about the meteoric rise and sudden death of '80s painting phenomenon Jean Michel Basquiat was made by a painter, Julian Schnabel, who knew his subject personally and the go-go New York art world they thrived in even more intimately. While Schnabel's closeness to the whole scene sometimes makes the movie seem like a very exclusive club function, for the most part it lends credible details to a fairly cliche-ridden story.

Basquiat was worth the movie monument. The son of a Haitian accountant and a mother who was institutionalized throughout his adult life, Basquiat first came to prominence as the homeless graffiti tagger SAMO. His poetically cryptic messages stood out from the usual Manhattan vandalism, and by 1981 he became the first African-American to seriously crack the SoHo gallery system.

Everybody loved Jean Michel. The critics, the collectors (Dennis Hopper does a nice turn as an impassioned, Eurotrashy money man), the groupies (Courtney Love plays one of those) and, most especially, his fellow artists.

At least according to this. Schnabel fictionalizes himself as Gary Oldman's Albert Milo, who is characterized as Basquiat's concerned, experienced adviser. More fun is David Bowie's Andy Warhol, a ditsy, dithering yet altogether more compelling portrayal of the pop art icon than the one seen earlier this year in ``I Shot Andy Warhol.''

Besides his fascinating canvases, it's easy to see why Basquiat attracted such attention. As played by Jeffrey Wright, the talented young Broadway star of ``Angels in America'' and ``Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk,'' Basquiat is a magnetic force field of childlike creative energy and wounded sensitivity. He's also darn cute, especially framed by all those Raggedy Ann dreadlocks.

But as his composite girlfriend, played by English actress Claire Forlani, responds when he asks to have babies with her, ``You're your own baby.'' That's the film's best summation of how Basquiat used the demons - especially racism and drugs - that killed him at 27 to also manipulate those he enchanted.

Schnabel tends to avoid melodrama and caricature, although the latter can hardly be dispensed with where New York art dealers are concerned. Schnabel also resorts to some obvious, artist-discovers-cinema mannerisms, like too many jump cuts and ``impressionistic'' process shots of Basquiat seeing surfers in the skies over downtown tenements.

Overall, though, Schnabel has made an admirably low-key, lived-it tribute to his friend. While self-destruction certainly played a major role in Basquiat's life, this movie clearly shows us why what the artist created is of much more lasting importance.

THE FACTS

The film: ``Basquiat'' (R; drug use, language, mild violence).

The stars: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Julian Schnabel, written by Schnabel, Lech Majewski and Michael Thomas Holman. Produced by Jon Kilik, Randy Ostrow and Joni Sighvatsson. Released by Miramax Films.

Running time: One hour, 46 minutes.

Playing: Goldwyn Pavilion, West Los Angeles; Sunset 5, West Hollywood; Monica, Santa Monica.

Our rating: Three Stars.

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Photo

Photo: In ``Basquiat,'' Jeffrey Wright fills his portrayalof painting phenomenon Jean Michel Basquiat with a magnetic force field of childlike creative energy and wounded sensitivity.