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Keith Haring - Graffiti Artist

Ralph Antinori
Art and Visual Culture: Assignment 1
June 19, 2008


Keith Haring
USA (1958–1990)
Untitled, 1982
felt tip pen on Arches paper

Keith Haring born May 4, 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania, died New York City February 16, 1990
Keith Haring has drawn a very plain picture of two people. It seems to me that one man is killing another man maybe in the name of god. I say that because he is holding a cross. The use of lines around the men shows me action and lots of it. I’m not sure what the purpose of the light bulb is in the upper left corner.
Haring drew a simple, non-color, bland picture. It’s not the actual use of color and lines that makes this good. I think is intent was in the actions of the figures. One man or thing or person is killing another form of life. At the same time holding a cross symbolizing religion. I think the light bulb may symbolize an idea. As if the meaning is that it’s a bad idea to kill and it’s a sin. Haring’s style was a form of graffiti art.
In 1980 two key things happened that would have a lasting effect on graffiti art. The first occurred in June of 1980 with a Times Square Show. It was the first time new aspiring artists would come in contact with and display their art work with graffiti artists.
One of the most notable contacts was that between Keith Haring and Fred Brathwaite (Brathwaite began to be known as Fab Five Freddy. (You might recognize this name as the name of the person who hosted Yo! MTV Raps!). It was after this show that Keith Haring began to produce this very same style of graffiti art for which he would become famous. Haring would be walking along through the subways and would just stop and begin drawing with white chalk on the black tar paper used to cover unrenewed poster ads in the subway corridors. It wasn’t unusual for Haring’s work to go untouched in the subway system because his work was so admired.