KEITH HARING, STONES 4, STONES SERIES, SIGNED LITHOGRAPH, EDITION OF 60, 1989
Stones 4 is a lithograph from Keith Haring’s Stones series from 1989 that shows a frame densely filled with bodies that seem to be growing from each other, out of two central trunks or stems. Figures are duplicated many times like Russian dolls, emerging out of each other with Haring’s characteristic energy and playfulness in a work that is evocative of his prolific output at this point in his life.
Writing of Keith Haring in the catalogue for the artist’s retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1997, David Ross states that ‘His use of simplified figurative abstract forms and his highly graphic style gave his works an immediate character, the complexity of his puzzlelike constructions pulled the viewer deeply into a unique picture space. Haring’s art radiated energy and he carefully directed that energy beyond the confines of the art world.’ This is evident in the Stones series, a suite of five prints in black and white that recall Haring’s early days spent drawing in white chalk on the empty advertising panels of the New York subway system.
Though there are countless examples of Haring’s screen prints on the market, his lithographs are rarer. Haring produced many large editions throughout his career, but each is characterised by the careful precision and vibrancy of the one that comes before it, demonstrating his mastery of the process.
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.
