Untitled

Keith Haring first drew the attention of New York and the Art World in 1981-1982 with his guerilla graffiti drawings on blank black placards often found on Manhattan's subway platforms. In these early drawings, Haring created his personal vocabulary of symbols that would appear on paintings and objects shown on the more rarified stage of gallery shows for the rest of his life. In this early stage Haring's imagery derived from the street, pushing a social agenda that was raw but typically cryptic and open to the viewer's interpretation.

The following four Blueprint Drawings were completed during this important formative period and relate directly to the chalk Subway Drawings. In the draftsmanship of the Bluprint Drawings Haring has arrived at a mature style that is simple and direct with an economy of line. There were 17 drawings in this series created between December 1980 and January 1981. They were executed on vellum with Sumi ink because Keith would then take them to the local blueprinter to have them copied. These drawings were exhibited in Haring's first one man show at Westbeth Painter's Space, New York, in February 1981. Their historic importance is unparalleled. These drawings mark the transformation from Haring the street graffiti artist to Haring the gallery artist.