Biopic conventions are thrown to the wind in "Basquiat", a stylish new film about the life of the late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. By avoiding cliches, such as larger-than-life quotes and an overblown death scene, the film has room to be artistic. Although we aren't informed about the entirety of Basquiat's troubled life, we are treated to a rare film that would shine even without the star- studded cast which includes David Bowie, Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper and features cameos by Courtney Love, Christopher Walken, Willem DeFoe and others.

Jean-Michel Basquiat's life was fraught with the kind of tragic beauty that makes legends. His catapult career from homelessness to the top of New York's modern art world ended in a tragic heroin overdose in 1988. The artist was only 27 when he died.

During his street days in the early '80s, Basquiat would decorate the city with perplexing graffiti messages which he signed with a copyright symbol and his "tag" name SAMO (same ole). These texts, and the hodgepodge texture of the city, served as the main inspiration for his innocent, half-representational art.

While foreshadowing Basquiat's demise, the film focuses mainly on the artist's rise to fame. After being discovered by Rene Ricard, a gay art critic played with flamboyant depth by Michel Wincott, the artist quickly gains notoriety. Andy Warhol (played by David Bowie in an original Warhol wig) soon arrives with his mild- mannered, art dealer friend, Bruno, played by Dennis Hopper. Basquiat becomes close friends with Warhol, with whom he also collaborates on several paintings. Bowie, who knew Warhol personally, pulls off a worthy performance despite a slight British accent, and the scenes between the two artists are both amusing and poignant.

Basquiat himself (stunningly portrayed by Jeffrey Wright) is depicted as a shy, stuttering romantic. Early in the film he courts a neighborhood waitress named Gina (Claire Forlani) by giving her little art trinkets he's made. When she takes him into her home, he paints on her walls and her refrigerator. After he paints on her newly-purchased red dress, Gina becomes furious. Although her anger is understandable, we find ourselves siding with the artist. It becomes impossible not to love Basquiat - even though we never quite understand him.

This vision of the artist is provided by Julian Schnabel, a personal friend of Basquiat's, who was himself one of the most dynamic artists in New York's '80s art scene. Schnabel, a white director, has sparked some controversy in his portrayal of the Afric an American artist with Haitian roots. His attempts at characterizing the life of a black man don't go particularly deep - Basquiat has trouble hailing cabs and getting good service while purchasing Russian caviar. But this isn't the kind of film that attempts to cover all bases. Instead, Schnabel relies on a combination of painted and cinematic artistry to express Basquiat's spirit. In the end, the film is perhaps more of a personal tribute than an objective biography.

Intriguingly enough, the imitations of Basquiat's art (the originals weren't made available for the film) are painted by the director himself. Unlike the more subjective portrayal of the artist's persona, these pastiches have gained unanimous critical praise. In addition to this, Julian Schnabel has written himself into the script under the guise of a character named Albert Milo (Gary Oldman). In this way he is able to include his own art in the film. We forgive him, however, because the art is so good, and because he allows Oldman to portray him as an uneasy and arrogant person.

"Basquiat" includes a well-integrated soundtrack, featuring music by the Pogues, Tom Waits, Miles Davis and Verdi. You get the feeling the director picked the songs straight out of his own record collection, without worrying about creating a marketable soundtrack.

This attitude, of putting something personal together, is what makes "Basquiat" such an enjoyable film to watch. The artist is constantly scribbling, painting and tinkering with things, and we are often able to observe the artistic process through several stages (as when Warhol and Basquiat take turns painting a large canvas piece together). In addition, Schnabel creates cinematic art. Jump cuts are employed in spurts, and a layered image of surfers riding waves in the sky above Manhattan high-rises recurs frequently. Despite the big names, "Basquiat" is a small, off-beat film that succeeds in being both funny and poignant. Seeing it may just inspire you to go home and paint your refrigerator.

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