Chocolate Buddha 1
Chocolate Buddha 1
Signed Print
Keith Haring
49 x 64cm, Edition of 90, Lithograph, 1989
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Meaning & Analysis
Rendered in the Keith Haring's graphic, linear style, Chocolate Buddha 1 is a signed lithograph with a limited edition of 90 from the Chocolate Buddha series (1989). The print shows an image of an abstracted face in a symmetrical composition, with the figure’s arms raised above its head. Haring creates an all-over composition of pattern through the use of flattened picture plane and two contrasting colours, red and blue.
Chocolate Buddha 1 has a kinetic energy that is produced through Haring’s use of jarring colours and complex, intertwining patterns. There is an electric flow of line that is satisfying for the viewer to follow, emphasised by the print’s symmetrical composition. Haring’s print is reminiscent of Aztec or Aboriginal art through his use of flowing, organic shapes and thick bold lines to create a pattern that plays out across the image surface.
Explaining why many of his works resemble Aztec or Aboriginal art, Haring has said ‘My drawings don’t try to imitate life; they try to create life, to invent life,’ something that he believed aligned with so-called primitive ideas. Chocolate Buddha 1 is exemplary of this notion by forming a rhythmic, all-over composition that focuses on symmetry rather than realism. Thus, Haring produces a kinetic image that excites the viewer and transcends reality.
