Director Christina Clausen's 90-minute 2008 documentary, The Universe of Keith Haring, is a work filled with love but not enough objectivity. There are things we didn't really need to know to understand who and what Haring was. There are things we might want to know, but aren't really given enough information.
Haring's not as famous as some of the people he rubbed shoulders with, most notably Madonna or Andy Warhol, but despite his brief life, he left a legacy worldwide. You've probably seen some of his colorful cartoons — in posters and murals. Like Warhol's silkscreens, Haring's work has become a style, an imitation of an imitation — from graffiti to art.
While his work has a certain exuberant and simplistic quality, his lifestyle seemed to similarly have had a short-sighted hedonism. The New York art scene is portrayed as one of non-committal sexual couplings, one that celebrated life with the sheer callow joy of a dog. Before his 1990 death at age 31 from complications of AIDS, he was part of a group that included Jean-Michel Basquiat and part of a scene that included sex, drugs, performance art, and pop music.
Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Haring studied graphic design at The Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, but he is best known for being a part of the New York street scene. In New York, he studied at the School of Visual Arts and was inspired by graffiti. His chalk drawings in the subways of New York City drew attention in the 1980s.
Madonna became a friend and his art was used during her Sticky and Sweet tour when she sang "Into the Groove." In the movie is a clip of Madonna performing at his birthday party. Other archival footage includes Grace Jones (if you remember her), Basquiat, Fab 5 Freddy, Haring, Yoko Ono, Warhol, Kenny Scharf, and Junior Vasquez.
Article comments