KEITH HARING, THE STORY OF RED AND BLUE 18, THE STORY OF RED AND BLUE SERIES, SIGNED LITHOGRAPH, EDITION OF 90, 198
Presented in the format of a children’s storybook, The Story Of Red And Blue 18 is a print from Keith Haring’s The Story Of Red And Blue series from 1989. Representative of Haring’s desire to create a visual language that appealed to both children and adults alike, the series is formed of a variety of simplified images reminiscent of children’s fictional characters. Throughout the series Haring limits his colour palette to bright red and blue and renders each image in his distinctive linear style with black rounded lines.
The Story Of Red And Blue 18 shows a comical image of a human-like rabbit, kneeling on the ground and waving. It’s face is outlined in thick, blue brushstrokes and the character has a bright red nose. Depicted through the use of simplistic shapes and bright, block colour, this print is a playful and appealing image that is reminiscent of a children’s storybook illustration.
Across the first half of the series, each print alternates in colour between red and blue and by this point in the series, the two colours appear together in the prints. In each print Haring uses simplified and generic pictograms to produce the effect of a children’s story book without a sensical storyline, where instead the story seems to focus abstractly on the colours red and blue.
Read more about The Story Of Red And Blue 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.
