Statue of Liberty 1986

Keith Haring made this screenprint of the Statue of Liberty, and you can see how he's playing with bold colours and outlines, almost like he's doodling in a really big way. For me, it's a reminder that artmaking is really a process of working through ideas, making marks, and just seeing what happens. Look at how flat everything is! The orange background, the green statue, the yellow figures below - it's all about these blocks of colour bumping up against each other. But then there's the energy of those thick, black lines. They’re almost vibrating. There’s a real joy in his use of line, like he’s dancing with the image. And those little yellow figures, it’s as if they're all charged with energy, reaching up to Lady Liberty. I see Haring as continuing the legacy of artists like Andy Warhol, who embraced pop culture and brought it into the art world. Haring reminds us that art can be everywhere, and for everyone. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be serious.