Graffiti?

Graffiti is considered a crime, but can it be considered art? When I think of graffiti, one artist always comes into my mind: Keith Haring. Haring used the line to create emotion and feeling into his work. When he first started to create, he created on the black walls of the subway in New York City. By simply using chalk on this black surface, Haring created pieces that conveyed emotion and feeling.
Just by simply using the 'line' Haring could achieve such emotion.

The line is the basis for all of Haring's work. He sometimes used bold and bright primary colors, but I find his black and white work to be very powerful. In the picture to the left entitled Heart, (1985), Haring used lines to create a sense of motion. The lines around the heart suggest that the heart is beating. The lines behind the two figures suggest that they are running towards each other. Even though, realistically, when we run, we can not see the air moving behind us, Haring implies that there is a sense of motion within this two dimensional and simplistic piece.

This piece is easy to relate and understand because Haring makes it so simplistic. The genders of the two bodies are not specific, which is implied by the simple outlining of two bodies using lines.

By using just lines in his pieces, Haring creates a sense of simplicity with in human emotions. It is obvious that this piece is conveying a message about love, and by just using lines, Haring successfully demonstrates that.

Image: Heart, 1985, Keith Haring