Keith Haring: The Controversial Art Of The 1980s

The art of the 1980s was a simple, colorful, yet controversial time for most artists. It was often simplistic and easy to produce for most of the art was repetitive and at a glance plain. Critiques questioned the definition of art and what defines art since art started to become a bit more abstract and restrained from imitating life. For example, a very controversial artist from the 1980s, Andy Warhol was often looked down upon by others seeing that his pop art included much repetition of the same photograph with slight differences such as words or color. Keith Haring, friends with Andy Warhol, was another popular artist during the 1980s who was neglected for his work. His art was simplistic in nature due to its use of stick figure-like objects, …show more content…
The biography of Keith Haring charmingly exhibited his elementary school exercise that stated, "When I grow up, I would like to be an artist in France. The reason is that I like to draw. I would get my money from the pictures I would sell. I hope I will be one" (Deitch 2-3). He was determined to become an artist at a young age and knew exactly what his passion was and what he wanted to pursue. I found this very inspiring because he was very driven at a young age and many elementary and middle school students today are losing interest in art and are reliant on others for their creativity. As Haring grew older, his interest in art developed into a way for him to record his thoughts and express his ideas in radiant unique ways. He did not concentrate on making a living out of drawing, but focused on creating symbols that expressed his individuality. As Haring started the School of Visual Arts in New York, he fixated much of his work on penises to communicate his sexuality and to flaunt the fact that he could (Deitch 22-23.) Haring was a free spirit that belonged in the big city which he explored a lot, and he harmonized with the citizens, and especially with the men, at night. The majority of Haring’s work involved sex during his time at the School of Visual Arts. While he was a student at the School of Visual Arts, he unintentionally started his career by sharing his work …show more content…
He used the empty black canvas of blank advertisements and white chalk to draw his symbols quickly. The community started to wonder where the images were coming from and who was drawing them. His work made the public very curious as to who left the mysterious drawings. At first it was a nuisance to the public, but within a few years, it was loved and appreciated by many. It became a common part of pop culture in the subways of New York. It was so loved that Haring was able to produce shirts containing his few symbols that he used in the subway (Deitch 11). A popular symbol was his radiating baby that represented the value and essence of life. He was a man that was eternally in love with life and lived it to the