Keith Haring (1958-1992)--you may not be too familiar with his name, but I am sure you have seen some of his work. Keith rose to fame in NYC by creating his drawings in the New York subway system on black paper panels with white chalk. He was a graffiti artist! His style of 'art with a message' has a system of symbols much like many of the famous works of the past, some of which I have blogged on already (Vanitas painters, and Bosch). The images he developed are his ironic, yet sincere, commentary on modern society--be it cruel and tragic, or playful and happy.
Here is a small list of the meanings for some of his images:
Radiating lines--empowerment
Radiant Baby--threatened childhood
Dolphins--peace and love
Pyramids--eternity
Holes in figures--the soul
Three eyes in a smiling face--greed or joy
Computers, robots, TVs--technology
Flying saucers--God forces, zapping figures to empower them
This painting was done on a wall-sized piece of plastic tarp of the type frequently used by construction workers to cover their equipment. It was a favorite 'canvas' for him to paint on.
I love the simplicity of his work, and once you understand his symbol system, it is fun to interpret his messages as well.
Love his sculptures, too!
Keith was a strong advocate of many social causes--he was anti-nuclear, anti-smoking, anti-drugs and a fierce proponent of literacy and the war on AIDS. Sadly, at the young age of 31, he lost his own personal battle with AIDS. Here is one of the final paintings he made, expressing his conviction that ignoring the AIDS epidemic will only lead to more deaths. The human figures are interconnected and weeping, the triangle symbolizes eternity, and the links between each and every figure symbolize the energy that runs through us and connects us to each other.
Silence=Death
So what do you think? A scrawler whose drawings should be ripped down and trashed like the graffiti they are? A lucky stiff who just happened to capture and intrigue hardened New Yorkers with his mysterious messages? A guy who needs to go back to work in the cookie cutter factory?...or an imaginative, optimistic, life loving young man with a desire to share his beliefs with all?....hmmmm.
