KEITH HARING, THREE LITHOGRAPHS 3, THREE LITHOGRAPHS SERIES, LITHOGRAPH IN COLOURS, ON WOVE PAPER, EDITION OF 80, 1985
Three Lithographs 3 is the final print of Keith Haring’s Three Lithographs series from 1985. This print shows 12 of Haring’s signature stick figures in a symmetrical linear composition depicted in black, white and red. Much like Haring’s iconic ‘People Ladder’ motif used in his Growing series (1988), two sets of six figures are stacked upon one another’s shoulders, both facing inwards in opposing directions.
The ‘People Ladder’ motif in Haring’s work has come to represent a tower of break dancers stacked on top of one another to convey a sense of joy and community in a way that reflected the artist’s love of hip hop emerging in New York City in the 1980s. Haring’s use of action lines on either side of the towers and over the heads of the two top figures works to create a sense of excitement in the print and also signifies the figures’ struggle to balance.
Three Lithographs 3 is an example of the way that Haring often depicted groups of figures in interconnected compositions to underline the idea that working together and forming community can be more powerful than working alone. Haring’s use of lithography as a method of printing worked to maintain the crisp edges and opaque sections of colour that make up his signature style, due to lithography’s capacity to produce exceptional detail across hundreds of multiples.
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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.
