Three Dancing Figure Analysis

Samantha Garcia

Nile Hartline

ENG 105 USE 12187

26 September 2015

Three Dancing Figures, Version C “I think public art (unless there is a specific political or ideological message) should make people feel comfortable, and brighten their environment.” As I walked through the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, there were a few sculptures that I found appealing but the one sculpture that caught my eye in particular was the Untitled Three Dancing Figures. The sculpture itself has an interesting design in which all of the Dancing Figures are touching each other and it seems as if the figures are marching and dancing in order. The sculpture was designed by Keith Haring in 1989, but was not assembled until 2009 when John and Mary Pappajohn commissioned

This structure was made of painted aluminum with the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. All three versions of The Dancing Figures are similar in design except the arms and legs are in different positions which show the different dance moves. Version C of the Untitled Three Dancing Figures is the only sculpture of Haring that we have downtown at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. Version A of the Untitled Three Dancing Figures is located in San Francisco, California near the Moscone Convention Center and Version B was sold by a company named Phillips that buys and sells contemporary works of art on May 18th, 2007. Haring loved music and dancing. A lot of the figures he designed were a tribute to his love of music from the club culture in the 1980s. He used these human figures in a lot of his drawings, sculptures, paintings, and editions. From expressing himself with love, birth, death, drugs, sex, and war in his art and see the message clearly. In his art work, Haring would catch the attention of all age

Haring in his early childhood loved to draw. He was influenced by Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney which lead him learn to draw basic cartoon characters. After Haring graduated high school, he started school at a Professional Art School in Pittsburgh where he was studying to be a commercial graphic artist but then dropped out after two semesters due to him having little interest in what he was studying for. In 1978, he moved to New York City and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts. While in New York, Haring began to use the unused black matte advertisement boards in the subway and made drawings of his art in chalk. Between the years of 1980 to 1985 he made hundred of these drawings on the black panels in the subway system, making almost 40 a day. These drawing were knowing as his "Subway Drawings". Haring began to be recognized and participated in group and solo exhibitions. In April of 1986, he opened a store called the Pop Shop selling merchandise with his images on them. He produced more than 50 public artworks in many different cities, some of which he created for charities, hospitals, children 's day cares, and orphanages. A famous landmark in New York was created by Keith Haring, making the mural of "Crack is Wack" still stands after being created in 1986. With the help of 900 children, Haring created a mural for the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. Three years before the Berlin Wall fell, Haring