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Keith is now considered an emblematic figure of Pop Art, Street Art and contemporary art like Andy Warhol. Indeed, it is one of the main American artists of the twentieth century. He has left an indelible mark that can be found in the works of artists of the nineteenth, specializing in pop art and street art.
More than just an artist with a well-defined style, Keith Haring had at heart to deal with societal subjects, sometimes sensitive and always bringing the light that only art is able to bring on our world.
This is why we propose a new collection inspired by Keith Haring, an emblematic artist of contemporary art and that we particularly like.
More than just an artist with a well-defined style, Keith Haring had at heart to deal with societal subjects, sometimes sensitive and always bringing the light that only art is able to bring on our world.
This is why we propose a new collection inspired by Keith Haring, an emblematic artist of contemporary art and that we particularly like.
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who is KEITH HARING ?
who is KEITH HARING ?
The embodied story of pop and street art
Born on May 4, 1958, Keith Haring is an American artist. At a very young age, he became interested in drawing and art, which is why he enrolled in the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh at the age of 18.
However, he quickly became bored with advertising work. He then withdrew from the school and turned to the School of Visual Arts in New York. Thanks to the artistic cradle that the Big Apple represented during the 1980s, Keith Haring decided to use the city as a creative medium.
On February 16, 1990, the American artist died at the age of 31 from complications of AIDS, a theme he had dealt with in his art.
An art outside of paintings
An art outside of paintings
He will then be inspired by the urban landscape, graffiti, and create artworks on blank billboards in order to expose his creativity to as many people as possible. His street work certainly invests public spaces, often illuminating bland industrial surfaces. He leaves his mark on the streets of the Big Apple and makes a few enemies in the process. The police unfortunately did not appreciate a subway sign being painted.
He met and befriended underground New York artists such as Kenny Scharf, Madonna and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and organized exhibitions and performances at Club 57 and the Mud Club, favorite venues of the avant-garde elite. One of the artist's most famous pictograms, Radiant Baby, was created at Club 57. This pictogram symbolizes life, joy and hope for the future, as the rays surrounding the baby represent youthful energy. He states "There is nothing negative about a baby, ever." Haring was not only impressed by the innovation and energy of his contemporaries, but also influenced the work of Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Alechinski, Brion Geysin and Robert Henri, the Art Spirit manifesto.
Keith Haring opened his own merchandise store in 1985: the pop shop. His desire was to make his art accessible to all and that everyone can approach this colorful universe, proof of a desire for universality.
Keith Haring and the Berlin Wall mural
He does not stop there and his street art exceeds the borders of his country. Indeed, because of his success, Keith Haring was invited to the Checkpoint Charlie museum in Berlin in 1986. The city was then divided in two by a 155 km long wall separating West and East Germany: the now famous Berlin Wall. Armed with his artistic genius, he created a 300-meter long fresco in the bright colors he was so fond of, where yellow predominated. He scatters 1000 of his famous men, accompanied by a giant character in red and black.
A human chain is formed under the brush of the artist, symbolizing unity and peace. As if each was an extension of another being. The choice of colors is not clear, but it seems to refer to the German flag, indicating the desire for reunification of the artist. The fresco, on this wall so symbolic of the history of the twentieth century, becomes a real ray of hope that still shines despite its destruction a few years later.
WHAT CHARACTERIZES KEITH HARING'S artWORKs?
An artistic style more than recognizable
It's hard not to recognize Keith Haring's work! The desire for simplicity is obvious in his artistic approach. Indeed, the characters born from his imagination are particularly stylized. These characters are numerous and are repeated throughout the painting with pure colors. The artist gives an impression of movement due to an inspiration from the comic strip by the use of its codes and reminds us of cartoons. Despite their lack of distinctive faces, these colorful men do not remain inexpressive. This is Keith Haring's art!
It is important to note that in his artistic approach, Keith Haring uses different media without ever making sketches. Thus, it is possible to find his works on paintings, murals, objects, posters, etc..
His paintings are part of a general movement of contemporary art, not just strictly free form. The "Haring Signature" is an infinite repetition of synthetic forms, black underlined by bright and luminous colors on various supports. It is to reduce the form to the minimum without it losing relevance. A form highlighted by the choice of thick lines.
Keith Haring's artworks are a timeless story of crawling babies, dolphins, TVs, barking dogs, snakes, angels, dancers, androgynous figures, flying saucers, pyramids, an awakening in progress, but also the discovery of sexuality and the death drive. The world which surrounds him becomes beautiful because it is with his image by the freshness of the truth and the honesty of his art. Narrow art without concessions, easily accessible but deep, easy for the children and too complicated for the adults!
The quest for universality in art
One of the concerns of the artist is to make art accessible to the greatest number of people and to do this, he exploits themes that everyone can understand. Keith Haring expresses through his art concepts accessible to all, such as love, birth, death, war, sex. For this reason, a painting by Keith Haring is often represented by drawings of characters with simple lines, bright colors and contrasting with the committed message of the artist.
Like other American artists who promoted "real art" in the 1950s and 1960s (especially Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns), Keith immersed himself in reality in a way that had not been done before. Integrative or even amalgamated, he wanted to "be in the world." Inspired by graffiti and striving to reach a wider audience with simple drawings, Haring began drawing with white chalk on the black panels of the New York subway. He also carved sandstone sidewalk tiles in the East Village (these can still be seen today). Photographer Tseng Kuong Chi always took his picture, even when he was arrested by the police. From then on, he created thousands of drawings with energetic and rhythmic lines.
An artist involved in socio-political struggles
As colorful as it is, Keith Haring's universe is full of socio-political criticism. Politically committed, he denounces not only homophobia, nuclear power in particular, but also apartheid and all the social injustices he names. Having declared himself HIV-positive at the age of 28, he has at heart to democratize this art and, more generally, to spread the messages he considers important.
POP ART INSPIRED BY KEITH HARING ON CARRÉ D'ARTISTES
As a specialist in contemporary art, Carré d'artistes offers you artworks inspired by the artist Keith Haring, at all prices and for all tastes. These artists have learned all the art of Haring by being inspired by his way of conveying messages, always with these minimalist characters with bright colors.
These works have been carefully selected by our art market experts. By choosing a work inspired by Keith Haring, you continue the legacy of the cult artist while supporting a new creator among the 650 artists on Carré d'artistes.
Discover all these new artworks and choose among a selection of the most beautiful creations inspired by Keith Haring.
Pop (art) your wall decoration!
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