Meaning & Analysis

Untitled 1989 is an etching by Keith Haring executed in blank ink and signed by the artist in pencil. The work represents minimalist aesthetics, the common feature of which is a fine contour line outlining diverse shapes and forms against a white background.

The subject matter of the work is an outdoor scene presenting an ambiguous human figure caught in motion. The human being here is not neutral and primal, as could be expected from the way in which Haring depicted his famous ‘radiant babies’ of the Icon series. The bodily shape of the central figure appears exaggerated, the size of thighs and feet disproportionate to the upper parts of the body.

Created as part of an etching edition, this work voices concerns about modern life through its interest in distortion and imperfection. In five other etchings included in the edition, the dominant figure no longer bears recognizably human features. The artist visibly intervenes in a sense of symmetry and proportion, reducing facial and bodily characteristics of the subjects to a simplistic, flat form. As such, the subject of Untitled 1989 can be seen to share a visual affinity with works raging from Picasso’s The Young Ladies Of Avignon to Matisse’s Music.