About KeithKeith Haring was an American artist who came to fame in the 1980s for his unique Graffiti-like Pop Art. Although his career was tragically cut short, he left his mark as both an artist and an activist. His work provided touching cultural commentary on social and political issues of his time, from drug abuse to AIDS awareness to the threat of a nuclear war, and bridged the gap between street art and the then-exclusive “high art” spaces of museums and galleries.
Kieth Harring began his career by creating drawings in the subways using the black paper the NYC transit department would put up while ads were being swapped out. Keith would use white chalk to draw and create whimsical characters that often tackle important issues. Subway riders began to notice these drawings, and his fame grew.
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Artistic style and themes
Analysis of Haring's work
Artistic Style & Themes Keith Haring’s artwork was largely inspired by the trends and social-political issues of the time, particularly those experienced in New York City, where the artist resided – from the beats and rhythm of hip-hop music, which was growing in popularity at the time, to themes such as AIDS, drug abuse, sexuality, religion, war, nuclear threat. With his cartoon-like silhouettes of accessible imagery realized in bright, bold colors against solid or patterned backgrounds, he developed an unmistakable aesthetic in the intersection between Pop and Street Art, contrasting with the more abstract and conceptual approaches of the previous generation. Believing in the idea that art is for all to enjoy and represents a means to convey political messages to multiple audiences, he pioneered the use of public sites for artistic purposes, and his works of public art can still be seen around the streets of many cities in the world. Kieth believed art was for everyone, young or old and wealthy or not. 
1. Form and techniques
Haring's work is characterized by the repetition of stylized and simple shapes outlined in black and often filled with warm, bright colors (yellow, green, red, blue). The drawing style is, relatively simple and understated, but most of the time, it gives the impression that the characters in these works are moving thanks to the lines borrowed from the world of comic books. Influenced by the world of hip hop and breakdancing, which was an emerging trend in NYC during the 1980s, Keith borrowed the movement of the dancers and reflected them in his simple characters giving the overall piece implied moment. Implied movement is the depiction of a figure or subject in the middle of a movement, like a snapshot. His characters were simple and even nongender. They were devoid of faces and or three-dimensional forms. They were simple flat shapes. His character were easily recognizable and could be anyone; this led to his overall belief that art was for everyone! 
2. Pattern and Movement
A pattern is characterized by a design of a repetition of a line, shape or color, or a combination of all. Kieth haring loved to use lines in his art, from the bold outlines he used on his characters to the linear doodling he’d do around these characters and backgrounds. The repetition of lines not only added to the lively movement but also created a visual pattern and rhythm. He would also instead color in shapes he, would elect to use patterns to fill in his shapes. So this styling was developed when he had not color to use, ie, his white chalk on black paper in the subways. 3. Meaning and symbols
Haring's work represents characters, objects and animals in a symbolic manner. Sometimes the designs tell a story but they always elicit emotion from those who view them. A crawling 'Radiant Baby,' a dog with a rectangular snout, a television, a flying saucer... Whether human or not, these symbols 'sketched' by Haring are immediately recognizable. 4. Influence Haring took advantage of all the opportunities on offer in New York in the '80s to make his work as accessible to the public as possible, demonstrated by his use of city billboards and the creation of a store selling products based on his art. Most of the subjects he worked with reflect his life or questions posed by people around him at the time. He also represented the energy of his generation, inspired by hip-hop music and breakdancing shaking up New York. |
assignmentInspired by the subway chalk drawing of Keith hearing students are going to create their own Figures in movement. Students must create 3 or more figures and then at least 2 symbols arranged together in a appealing composition. Students will then like Keith hearing use action lines, patterns and echo lines to doodle up a whole page. The objective is for the whole page to get drawn on!
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