Growing #4 1988

Keith Haring made this, "Growing #4", with expressive lines and a limited palette. Just imagine him making it, figuring out how to make marks sing! It looks like he just went at it. He was probably thinking about how to keep it loose but still make it all fit together, you know? The yellow feels kind of electric against the black background, buzzing with energy. I like how the line wanders and loops around, making these funky shapes that hint at figures, and then there's the red dot in the middle. It's like a concentrated burst of energy, or maybe an eye staring back at us. Haring was part of a vibrant scene with artists like Basquiat, all riffing off each other, pushing boundaries, trying to make art that spoke to their time. When I look at his paintings, I wonder, how can I be so free, so bold, so sure? Maybe that's what all painters are asking each other, across time, just with different materials and colors.