Keith Haring's Blueprint Drawings 4 is a tight composition of twelve diverse panels framed by two non-identical side drawings. Themes of authority and control (expressed through Haring's signature dog image), violence and societal constructs pulse through this work.
In most panels, faceless figures appear, accompanied by the looming threat of the dotted HIV virus. Their anonymity is deliberate, their disruption in connectivity is suggested (as symbolized by the open, disconnected telephone). Stripped of individuality, these figures become representations of systemic oppression, much like the victims Haring sought to advocate for. At the center? A void - an unsettling white space that speaks volumes. It could symbolize emptiness, loss, or an unseen force orchestrating the chaos unfolding around it.
The dualities within the piece are striking and visually very sharp. At the far right of the drawing, the viewer notices what are presumably adults reduced to crawling figures, entangled with animals in a desperate struggle for survival, yet overshadowed or somehow blocked by an external force. On the opposite side, those figures are crushed beneath an invisible weight - obliterated, erased, and without hope, as they seemingly crawl downward. The act of crawling here is more than just movement; it represents degradation, exhaustion, and a forced submission to an unforgiving system. It simultaneously evokes a profound need to fight against forces or institutions that undermine human dignity - a need Haring himself experienced firsthand following his HIV diagnosis.

• Ask a question
• Buy