Keith Haring Art Prints
Keith Haring was an American pop artist who worked alongside other New York pop art figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. He got his start in 1979 creating murals and public art in the subways of New York. Though Haring passed away in 1990, his works are still being reproduced as art prints.
What printing methods are used for Keith Haring works?The method used for accurately transferring a pre-painted image onto a piece of paper or a poster can affect the color intensity and level of detail. Keith Haring art prints are made with several printing methods, including the following options:
- Lithograph: Used since the 1800s, this printing method involves drawing images on a stone or metal plate before transferring them to the paper. Lithographs are very accurate, and they may be either handmade or machine made.
- Serigraph: Also called a silkscreen print, this method involves pushing paint through a silk screen and stencil onto the paper. This method let Keith Haring vary the patterns and color intensity more..
- Giclee: Giclee uses a special printing technology to spray microscopic sized drops of ink onto an image. This allows for extremely high resolution and fine detailing.
Many Keith Haring prints have the "Pop Shop" label on them. This was a gallery opened in 1986 by Haring. It sold prints and paintings made by Haring at affordable rates. The Pop Shop was created to further Haring's goal of making art more accessible to the masses. Some of the Pop Shop works were basic untitled prints and reproductions while others were handmade serigraphs that were printed and signed by Haring himself.
What artistic imagery did Keith Haring use?Keith Haring prints showcase the artist's signature style. He frequently included the following design elements in his work:
- Flat colors: Instead of shading items, Keith Haring always used flat panels of color in his work. Some of his most commonly used colors were black, white, red, yellow, blue, and green.
- Thick outlines: Keith Haring used thick black outlines around each shape in his prints and paintings.
- Interlocking figures: Keith Haring crammed together each shape in his works to give it a maze like look with things overlapping each other.
- Faceless people: Haring's works tended to have stick figures without faces, hair, clothing, or any other identifying features.
Haring created thousands of paintings and prints in his lifetime. After his death, these artworks were frequently reproduced as prints and posters.
- Crack is Wack: This print was originally a mural on a basketball court. It encouraged youths to avoid using the drug.
- Ignorance = Fear: Haring originally produced this as a street poster to raise public awareness of the AIDS epidemic.
- Andy Mouse: This was Keith Haring's homage to Andy Warhol. It features Warhol as a satirical Mickey Mouse cartoon.
- Fight Aids: Like other Haring artwork, this poster was part of the global effort to fight AIDS.