BACKGROUND
Keith Haring was born on May 4, 1958 in Pennsylvania, where he was also raised. He loved drawing from a very young age and drew inspiration from his father, Walt Disney’s cartoons, and Dr. Seuss’.
In 1976, after graduating High School, he began studying commercial art in the Ivy School of Professional Art. He soon realized however, he had very little interest in this career path and dropped out after his first year.
He later moved to New York City and made the decision of enrolling in The School of Visual Arts. In New York, Haring discovered the underground art world. He became friends with graffiti and performance artists as well as with musicians and quickly fell in love with this scene.
In 1988, when his work was already popular, he was diagnosed with AIDS. In 1989, he established the Keith Haring Foundation in order to provide funding and imagery for AIDS organizations and to bring awareness regarding this disease. He died in 1990 but left behind one of the greatest legacies any street artist has ever left behind.
WORKS
Subway Drawings
In 1980, Haring began taking use of the New York City’s subway unused advertising spaces, which were covered in matte black paper, to create art. For five years, he would ride the subway, look for empty spaces of black paper, and draw on them with chalk. His drawings were simple since he had to move fast before someone caught him and arrested him. One of his most famous works here was the radiant baby.
Berlin Wall
In 1986, Haring created one of his most famous artworks in the Berlin Wall. This project was highly publicized but also very risky for him. His 300m long mural was composed of human figures interlinked at their hands and feet, in the colors of the German flag (yellow, red, and black), which was meant to symbolize the quest for unity between East and West Germany.
Clothing
His work was also featured in clothing, like Madonna’s outfit for her performance on May 16, 1984.
CONCLUSION
There are many street artists around the world, and graffiti has become very common, yet very few have gained the success and praise Keith Haring has. If you analyze his life and his artwork it is clear to see that he made it far by doing things his way. He didn’t follow trends but instead created trends.
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