The first three of these symbols are prevalent in Pork . The textual symbols 'PORK' and 'PESO NETO' were used in Pork . It is important that we recognise both these graphic and textual symbols as acting as signs in Basquiat's work.
Signs are the result of an over population and layering of symbols in a postwar consumerist era.
They symbolise the superficiality of the symbol and take stake in the foundations of conceptual art. The nature of the sign as multi-meaningful and layered also invites a plethora of seemingly optimistic interpretations. McEvilley's apparently highly romanticised notion of Basquiat as 'brooding black king' bears witness to the misinterpretation of signs. His continued use of the crown may have simply reflected a personal attachment to the symbol, one that many other artists may have held. These simple but logical theories, however, would probably prove too mundane for the professional critic.