Keith Haring, Subway Drawings

In 1980, Haring saw New York City subway’s blank advertising spaces were covered with black matte paper when advertising spaces expired. He immediately purchased chalk and started drawing. Over the next five years this became a daily repetitive obsession. He rode the subway looking for these black papers to draw on and quickly leave on the next train. Haring’s subway drawings allowed him to perfect his highly recognizable reduced linear vocabulary and to create an inventory of images. Simplification was practical. He needed to complete his drawings as fast as possible to avoid being arrested. He created characters such as the barking dog and the radiating baby which he drew on flat planes with no spatial depth often with only a horizon line or a staircase to suggest space. Drawn close to the surface like cartoons and could carry multiple meanings through various combinations. Underground in the subways Haring’s graffiti was able to reach a larger audience than a traditional art gallery. He made his art accessible to all and tried to stay away from sexual and political images that would show up in other areas of his work. Subway riders looked forward to seeing his art and helped Haring gain popularity and fame.

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