A Critical, Contextual Review of the Work of Keith Haring

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Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work continues to embody concepts of birth, death, sexuality and war, all from the perspective of a gay man living in New York City during the 1980’s. Throughout his career he devoted much of his time to public works, brimming with social messages, which were often quite political. His work very clearly demonstrated the way much of what was going on in the world at the time personally influenced him, as well as the impact his sexual orientation and his AIDS diagnosis had on his life.

Sexuality, specifically homosexuality, was one of many consistent ideas throughout Haring’s work, however it was rarely shown in a positive light; Haring often depicted sexuality as threatening, often associating it with images of monsters and skeletons. Such an association makes sense when we come to realize that Haring’s perception of sex was accompanied by a constant fear, with the threat of HIV always imminent throughout his adult life. Haring’s work demonstrates a lot of stigma associated with homosexual relationships, with Haring being among the first to present homosexuality in such a progressive way. Haring worked hard to remove sexuality, specifically homosexuality, from the subculture and the stereotypes that it embodied during the 1980’s. Much of his work gave a minority community of gay men the chance to express and appreciate their sexuality through his art. Unfortunately, due to the strong association presented between homosexuality and HIV/AIDS throughout his work, as progressive and as important as it may have been, his message may have been misinterpreted by those uneducated about HIV during this time period, solidifying the link between homosexuality and AIDS in the minds of his ...

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...g was able to attract a diverse audience and assure that his images would stay with them forever. Dying of AIDS related complications at the age of 31, Keith Haring’s legacy lives on through his work and through his charity work, spreading awareness through beauty even after death.

Works Cited

"Art.com - The Keith Haring Artwork Collection." Art.com - The Keith Haring Artwork Collection. N.p., n.d..

"Bio | Keith Haring." Bio | Keith Haring. N.p., n.d..
"Feature story." "Art for AIDS" receives Keith Haring sculptures. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. .
"Keith Haring Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. .

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