Stop AIDS 1989

Keith Haring made this print, "Stop AIDS", with bold colors and simplified forms, a signature style that feels both immediate and iconic. You can see how he uses a flat yellow background, almost like a stage, setting off the drama of the green scissors cutting the red snake. The graphic quality – those crisp outlines and unmodulated colors – gives it a poster-like feel, but it's the raw emotional punch that gets you. Look at how the scissors are animated, almost like a figure in a dance, and the snake is this writhing, expressive form. It's so simple, yet it speaks volumes about the urgency and fear surrounding the AIDS crisis. Haring's work reminds me a little of Fernand Léger, in the way that he reduces figures to almost machine-like forms. Ultimately, Haring reminds us of the power of art to communicate complex ideas in an instant, sparking conversation and inspiring action.