KEITH HARING, STONES 1, STONES SERIES, SIGNED LITHOGRAPH, EDITION OF 60, 1989
Notable for their labyrinthine designs, the prints in Keith Haring’s Stones series are striking examples of the Pop artist’s ability to create complex images while maintaining the simplicity of line. Produced as lithographs just one year before the artist passed away from AIDS-related complications, the works in this series are reminiscent of Haring’s early subway drawings which earned him both notoriety and acclaim.
Stones 1 shows Haring’s characteristic bold black lines inverted to white to create an expressive face against a frenzied background of lines and thorns in what could be perceived as an homage to the iconography of the Ecce Homo tradition in western art. Conversely, the work also represents Haring’s debt to non-western traditions, echoing the bold lines of Pre-Columbian art – especially those of Nazca lines – and aboriginal art. With this marriage of influences, the Stones series can be seen as the epitome of Haring’s hybrid style that knew no difference between high and low, ancient and modern, east and west.
Though Haring spent much of the mid to late 80s working with silk screens, this move back to lithography shows his complete mastery of print as a medium. Haring produced large editions throughout his career, but each is characterised by the careful precision and vibrancy of the one that comes before it, demonstrating his dedication to the process.
Read more about Stones 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.
