In Memoriam Keith Haring

"My contribution to the world is my ability to draw. I will draw as much as I can, for as many people as I can for as long as I can"
-Keith Haring (1958-1990)

I have found a lot of inspiration in the works of Keith Haring. He was an artists who truly lived for art.
I'm not sure why but looking at his art and reading about him, reminds me of that beautiful quote from Kerouac's 'On the Road' :

the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!

Haring's style was really something else. I was struck by his originality the first time I saw one of his works. His art is bold and simple, energetic and primitive, provocative, accessible, yet subject of many different interpretations.
Here's what his official web page says about his art:

By expressing universal concepts of birth, death, love, sex and war, using a primacy of line and directness of message, Haring was able to attract a wide audience and assure the accessibility and staying power of his imagery, which has become a universally recognised visual language of the 20th century.

I discovered this unique American artist only recently through a book by Alexandra Kolossa, from Taschen's artists series. A very well written and wonderfully illustrated book, here's what the author says about Keith Haring's style in the book's introduction:

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 or Haring's art, however, lies in his ability to combine this strongly graphic style with a great deal of imagination...Spontaneity and assurance are the outstanding attributes of his work. Thousands wear his T-shirts; millions recognise his style. This was true when he dies, and it is still true today...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 that every day absorbed and processed inspirations before disseminating them via artistic statements that he quite consciously geared to the spirit of his age.

Keith Haring, Untitled

May he rest in peace