The art minute
Keith Haring a universal work
Who was Keith Haring?
Indeed, his paintings, his motifs became ultra popular. They spread very quickly across the planet while the artist was still alive.
The artist is famous because the stylized characters used on his paintings are universal. He was recognized by the public and the art world very early on. He is also known because he is one of the artists who died too young of AIDS, in 1990, at the age of only 31.
He is sometimes associated with Basquiat because the two artists were close. They came from the same movements: graffiti, street art.
In addition, they experienced rapid fame, success and money and died very young. Keith was deeply affected by the death of his friend, due to drugs, and dedicated him a painting: A pile of crowns.
The artist was successful all over the world, in the United States, in Europe and especially in France. In 1984, he was invited to exhibit and express himself in French museums and galleries. There he met artists of his generation, close to his universe: Hervé di Rosa and Robert Combas.
He has received numerous commissions for a wide variety of media: Necker Children's Hospital in Paris, Church of Pisa, labels for fine wines, ....
What is the style OF Keith Haring'a artworks?
Keith Haring's works belong to pop art. He paints silhouettes of men surrounded by a thick black line. They are immediately recognizable, very colorful with bright hues. They appear on walls, frescoes. Like the pictograms they resemble, the artist's silhouettes reveal an immediate meaning. The characters are drawn in various positions or actions: dancing, holding hands, walking, kissing,...
They are intertwined, multiplied, they fill the surface of the canvas. His most reproduced character is the Radiant Baby.
His silhouettes seem very simple to draw, evoking children's drawings.
It is easy to reproduce them. Like Basquiat, the artist sometimes inserted words in English, inscriptions, slogans.
His silhouettes seem very simple to draw, evoking children's drawings.
It is easy to reproduce them. Like Basquiat, the artist sometimes inserted words in English, inscriptions, slogans.
WHY IS KEITH HARING'S WORK STILL ALIVE?
The themes treated by the artist are more than ever topical. Armed conflicts are numerous, the planet is suffering, the rights of LGBT people are not recognized everywhere. Tolerance, protection of the environment, the rights of LGBT people are struggles that have not stopped.
On the contrary, they are more necessary than ever.
How have young artists appropriated the universe of Keith Haring?
The artist is a reference for young artists influenced by pop art and street art.
As with Basquiat or Warhol, painters draw from Keith Haring's works and use his techniques, his motifs, his colors, his themes.
The characters are reused in new scenes. They are reproduced on original supports. They are painted or drawn in other colors, with other
tools.
OUR ARTISTS PAY TRIBUTE TO KEITH HARING
First of all, Virginie Schroeder is an artist who works in Canada. Very close to pop art for a long time, she was naturally impregnated by the Keith Haring works.
In her aesthetic research, she gives visibility to popular characters from comics and movies: Wonderwoman, Mickey, Asterix, the Pink Panther, Harry Potter and many others.
It shows them under a new aspect. She proposes an image of the heroes not common with those we are used to. She gives them a psychedelic, pop version.
Virginie Schroeder deforms, colors the silhouettes of the artist by treating them with bright colors, predominantly pink to evoke peace, love on the whole planet. Her canvas in homage to the artist celebrates the brotherhood between all men.
She uses a knife technique to sculpt the silhouettes and give them movement. Her painting gives off a feeling of universal love, reflecting a possible peaceful future.
In her aesthetic research, she gives visibility to popular characters from comics and movies: Wonderwoman, Mickey, Asterix, the Pink Panther, Harry Potter and many others.
It shows them under a new aspect. She proposes an image of the heroes not common with those we are used to. She gives them a psychedelic, pop version.
Virginie Schroeder deforms, colors the silhouettes of the artist by treating them with bright colors, predominantly pink to evoke peace, love on the whole planet. Her canvas in homage to the artist celebrates the brotherhood between all men.
She uses a knife technique to sculpt the silhouettes and give them movement. Her painting gives off a feeling of universal love, reflecting a possible peaceful future.
Patrick Cornée, French artist, is used to evoking the great figures of pop art and popular culture (comics, movies, music). He has already invoked the great American or English icons: David Bowie, Mickey, Andy Warhol, John Lennon, Basquiat,... He inserts them in his paintings and diverts them or glorifies them. He stages them in updated situations. Like Basquiat, Patrick Cornée introduces popular characters in his tribute canvas to Keith Haring works. This time it is Popeye, a comic book and cartoon character well known for his strength when he swallows spinach. In his painting, Frédéric Cornée shows Popeye surrounded by Keith Haring's men. Popeye is known for his strength, his brutality. He is a sailor, tattooed and muscular. Haring's silhouettes seem to trample him, to crush him. Colored, they contrast with a Popeye in black and white.
