Pop Shop IV 1989

This is Keith Haring's Pop Shop IV, a screenprint pulsing with primary color and bold energy. Imagine Haring in his studio, laying down those crisp, graphic lines, one after another. It's simple, really: red figures hoisting a brown baby up against a bright yellow background. But there’s so much there. The baby, radiant with radiating lines, feels like pure potential, a symbol of hope. I imagine Haring thinking about the future, about new life, about the responsibilities that come with it. Haring's work came from the street; he was inspired by graffiti and pop art. And like a lot of painters, he was inspired by earlier painters, carrying on a conversation with them. His flat planes of color and thick outlines remind me of Léger, but with a contemporary twist. It’s like he’s saying, ‘We can be serious and playful at the same time,’ something I try to channel in my own work.