KEITH HARING, THE BLUEPRINT DRAWINGS 9, THE BLUEPRINT DRAWINGS SERIES, SIGNED SCREEN PRINT, EDITION OF 33, 1990
Rendered in the artist’s trademark linear, figurative style, The Blueprint Drawings 9 is a print from Keith Haring’s The Blueprint Drawings series from 1990. The print shows a series of events playing out across three frames, depicted in the style of a comic strip. Haring incorporates some of his most recognisable symbols in this print to form a narrative on homosexuality, otherness, violence and death.
There is a white figure and a dotted figure in the first two frames, with the dotted figure’s stomach is cut open and then penetrated by the other figure’s head. In the final frame the dotted figure grabs the stick he was cut open with and seven of Haring’s barking dog motifs appear to jump through the figure’s stomach, one by one.
Haring’s image of the figure with a hole in the stomach has come to symbolise the emptiness within us, notably in relation to the community of people so affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Haring uses dots in this print to convey the otherness of homosexuality and illness, specifically AIDS, however by showing the dotted figure in the final frame reclaiming the weapon he was opened up by, Haring shows the figures as powerful and offers the viewer a sense of hope.
Read more about The Blueprint Drawings 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.