KEITH HARING, FERTILITY SUITE, SIGNED SCREEN PRINT, EDITION OF 100, 1983
Across the five prints in Fertility Suite, Haring shows a set of recognisable, clear-cut motifs that translate into a complex narrative that celebrates fertility and life, whilst also highlighting the horrors faced by pregnant women living with HIV/AIDS. Haring uses the symbol of the pregnant figures dancing in energetic bodily motions as a recurring theme throughout Fertility, making the series one of Haring’s most powerful tributes to womanhood. Additionally, the prints include many other trademark symbols by Haring such as the radiant baby, the pyramid and UFOs, working to make this series an archetypal example of the artist’s style.
Formally the works are defined by their use of neon colours that are reminiscent of the New York club scene, initially perceived by the viewer as joyful images. Haring uses contrasting day-glow pigments such as yellow, pink, green, red and purple against sections of black, providing the series with an exceptionally bright visual language that appeals to adults and children alike.
As an early set of screen prints by Haring, this suite represents the significance of his work to HIV/AIDS activism through a positive visual language and unique symbols that are widely recognised and understood by the public. Adopted from the world of commercial printing and initially popularised by Andy Warhol, screen printing offered Haring a way of producing multiple images in vivid colours and little variation between prints.
Notable throughout the series is Haring’s use of dots, dashes and circles in each print that cover the bodies of certain figures, the ground upon which these figures stand and in one instance covers an ancient Egyptian pyramid. These marks have come to be identified as the scars or lesions commonly associated with the AIDS virus, immediately casting a much darker tone on the series, despite what the use of bright colours initially suggests. There is an ominous spotted figure present in Fertility 4 and Fertility 5 that represents the ambiguity of Haring’s motifs. Covered in bold dots, this large figure represents the menacing presence of HIV/AIDS in the world Haring depicts, but at the same time Haring includes an ankh cross, the Egyptian hieroglyphic for ‘life’, at the centre of the figures subject, thus alluding to the presence of a fertility god.
Discussing the recurrence of babies and fertility as subjects in his work, Haring said in 1981 that a baby “is the purest and most positive experience of human existence. Children are the bearers of life in its simplest and most joyous form.” Fertility shows Haring’s passion for advocating for HIV/AIDS awareness by revealing how destructive the virus can be when passed from mother to child, as was the case in 1980s Sub-Saharan Africa.
The dashes and circles seen on the figures in this series have been identified as scars or lesions commonly associated with the disease. Despite the sadness of these associations, Haring’s belief in the radiant innocence of children remains, representing his unfailing hope in humanity and desire to make the world a better place.
Made in 1983, this is one of Haring’s earliest screenprints. Though he had experimented with print techniques such as lithography in the late 70s it wasn’t until this year that he began making screenprints. Adopted from the world of commercial printing, silk screens offered a way of creating multiple images with vivid colours and little variation between prints. This move was undoubtedly due in part to the medium being popularised by Warhol, one of Haring’s most important influences. It soon became evident that the energy and curiosity Haring demonstrated for painting translated perfectly into printmaking and he began to work with publishers across the US, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, France, Denmark and Holland, producing ever more inventive and daring work. Though many of his prints were made in editions of 100 or more, there is an element of precision in every single one that shows the level of care with which he supervised the process.
By the time of his death from AIDS in 1990, Haring had produced so many prints that the exact number has become impossible to count. There are many unsigned editions on the market, though these tend only to be considered valuable if approved by the Keith Haring Foundation. Today his prints are frequently among the most sought after multiples on the market.
ABOUT KEITH HARING
Known for his bold graphic style and playful sense of humour, Keith Haring is one of the most influential and adored artists of the 20th century.
Born in Pennsylvania, in 1958, Haring was a talented draughtsman as a child and developed his cartoonish style at the hands of his father and the work of Walt Disney and Dr Seuss. However it would take some time before he realised he could marry this kind of drawing with being a fine artist. Upon graduating from high school he enrolled in a commercial art school before realising he had little interest in pursuing a career as an illustrator or graphic designer. After dropping out of college he joined the hippie movement and hitchhiked across the country where he made anti-Nixon t-shirts to pay for food and Grateful Dead tickets. Learn more about Keith Haring.
