Keith Haring 1958-1990 [antikvár]

Art is life, life is art In the early hours of the morning of February 16,1990, Keith Haring died of AIDS at the age of just 31. He left behind an enormous oeuvre of drawings and paintings, murals and sculptures, as well as countless printed T-shirts and posters: a comprehensive legacy produced in the course of ten years of creativity by an artist who left no "late" works. In spite of his youth, Haring at the time of his death was already a celebrated artist, established in the eyes of his fellow-artists, accepted by the critics and loved by children. During his short life he became an American export hit, achieving fame and commercial success. Like almost no other artist, he understood how to combine his personality and his art into a single entity. His artistic trademark is the line, formally reduced to its essentials, which spreads out in many ways within the restricted area of the picture and takes proper account of its proportions. And it is always a continuous line, guided by the principle of chance, becoming an outline, then a figure and finally a symbol. Mostly, the beholder needs just a brief glance in order to register what is to be seen and understood in his works. The particular fascination of Baring's art, however, lies in his ability to combine this strongly graphic style with a great deal of imagination. His figures and forms are subject to continuous transformations and new creations, providing ongoing proof of his qualities as a draftsman, painter and sculptor. Within his oeuvre, we witness a steady stylistic evolution. His constant search for new challenges is accompanied by experimentation with changing surfaces on which to paint. No matter whether he chooses to paint on walls, items of clothing, automobiles or airships and most of all on paper, canvas, untreated cotton or vinyl, Haring's hallmark is perfection of execution. Neither for his formally planned projects nor for his spontaneous mural designs are his lines based on sketches or studies. We can discern no errors or corrections, no asymmetries of proportion. Spontaneity and assurance are the outstanding attributes of his work. Thousands wear his T-shirts; millions recognize his style. This was true when he died, and it is still true today The "getting accustomed to his art" phase was brief. For nothing that Haring painted was unknown to the public. He copied and integrated what he saw around him. Equipped with a sure instinct for the sensitive issues of his time, Haring became a voyeur of American society and acted as a medium thai every day absorbed and processed inspirations before disseminating them via artistic statements that he quite consciously geared to the spirit of Haring took every opportunity to tag in public spaces, even on discarded doors. New York, 1982 ILLUSTRATION PAGE 6: VntitleH, 1982 Marker ink and paint on found canvas, 244 x210 cm liryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Suzi and Scott Lustgarten Collection