KEITH HARING, GROWING 2, GROWING SERIES, SIGNED SCREEN PRINT, EDITION OF 100, 1988
Growing 2 is a print from Keith Haring’s Growing series (1988) that shows a symmetrical image of four figures interconnected and conjoined by the torso of the central figure. Haring depicts these figures in black and contours the subject in blue, rounded outlines, setting the image against a vivid red backdrop. Typical of Haring’s figurative style, rounded lines are used to create a sense of energy and movement in the print, as though these figures are dancing or working with one another.
Haring’s print strikes a balance between pattern and figuration in such a way that it recalls the art of Australian Aborigines, something that the artist claimed to be unaware of. This sense of pattern across the image surface is emphasised by the symmetrical composition and the way in which Haring fits the figures together in a complex interconnected system. The use of flat, contrasting colours also further emphasises the abstract surface pattern of the image, with the bright yellow circles as the focal point from which the pattern emerges.
Showing a number of figures stemming from the single individual in a complex interconnected system, Haring makes his point that working together and forming community can be more powerful than working alone. The figures in Growing 2 could also be seen to be break dancing, something that Haring became very interested in as a means to communicate joy and togetherness.
Read more about Growing by Keith Haring.
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.
