KEITH HARING, STONES 2, STONES SERIES, SIGNED LITHOGRAPH, EDITION OF 60, 1989
Characteristic of his artistic output at this time, Stones 2 is the second print in Keith Haring’s Stones series showing a playful image with threatening undertones. The work shows a hand rising up from the bottom of the frame, the outstretched fingers becoming dancing figures with the middle finger appearing to hold off a striped snake.
Here Haring’s training in semiotics at the School of Visual Arts is evident, as is his early love for cartoons and street art. He employs bold lines, with his usual black line inverted here to white, creating a striking visual narrative that leaves a considerable impact on the viewer. As Werner Jehle writes, Haring’s prints “set signals for burning social issues. He found symbols for violence, money and sex, religion and racism. … many of Haring’s works could be called ‘wall newspapers’ because they comment on current events, even if they do so in allegorical figures and abstract formulas. From this point of view, he stands in the tradition of Jacques Callot and Goya …”
Printed in 1989, the Stones portfolio was made at the very end of Haring’s short life, during a time when he was producing ever more inventive and daring work in large quantities as a result of being tested positive for HIV in 1988.
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.
