KEITH HARING, THREE LITHOGRAPHS 2, THREE LITHOGRAPHS SERIES, SIGNED LITHOGRAPH IN COLOURS, ON RIVES BFK PAPER, EDITION OF 80, 1985
Three Lithographs 2 is a lithograph by Keith Haring from his Three Lithographs series from 1985. It shows a portrait of a monstrous-looking creature with deformed features and its mouth open, showing its red tongue and uneven teeth. This print is rendered in Haring’s trademark linear style, exclusively in red, white and black.
Unlike much of Haring’s work that shows full-bodied stick figures, the head of the creature in this image takes up the entire composition. The portrait materialises from the left side of the print and faces the right with its features squashed into the rectangular-shaped frame. Inspired by ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the figure’s eyes are rendered as if viewed from the front whilst the rest of the face is in profile.
This print is typical of Haring’s lithographs that feature his celebrated simplistic drawings in outrageous and comical compositions. This print is depicted in a style that mimics children’s drawings but reveals a message that is entirely adult in tone. Haring produces a painterly quality to the print, notably in his use of red lines, that is a consequence of his use of lithography, a printing process that utilises ink on a pigment-repellent slab of stone or metal.
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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.
