Keith Haring was an american Pop artist. Born May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990. In 20th century Haring’s bold and graphical artworks as become widely recognised. His artworks were bold, cartoon style and graffiti influenced. His work highlights the social issues of NewYork and his own personal life. It was bold, expressive and vivid with cartooning and graphic design. His unique cartooning style and talent inherited from his father.
Keith grew up in Kutztown, Pennsylvania spent many hours drawing with his father. Popular cartoons from Walt Disney and charles Schultz fascinated Keith. At the early age he started developing interest Art. From 1976 to 1978 he studied commercial art at The Ivy School of Professional Art, Pittsburgh. He lost interest in commercial art and started studying Fine Arts.
I don’t think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It celebrates humanity instead of manipulating it.”
Keith Haring - Rebel with many cause
Haring was a conceptual artist, whose goal was to communicate his idea. In his journal he mentions “Paintings can be poem if they are read as words instead of images.”
He never founded a school or artistic movement. At the age of 31 February 16, 1990 Haring died of AIDS-related complications. His works continues to be exhibited around the world and many are owned by prestigious museums.
He was a activist in NewYork and he championed the rights of individuals: “Individuality is the enemy of mass society”. Art was the vehicle :”Art is individuality”. Haring wanted to democratize art. He developed the trademark visual language based on his love of cartoon, with heavy black outlines, simple contours and primary colors.
His art make protest on many social issue and wide varieties’ evils – Danger of nuclear Power, AIDS, the destruction of the environment, the abuses of organised religion and corrupt politics, the injustices of homophobia and racism, the tyranny of imperialism and colonialism, and more. Curiously, one of his targets was American commercialism: he made large paintings that showed rivers of dollar bills and consumer durables spewing out of the mouths of monsters.
Pop art by Keith Haring on social issues.
