Barking Dog is a 1990 silkscreen with embossing by Pop artist and activist Keith Haring. One of Haring’s last portfolios before being tragically taken by the AIDS virus, Icons pays homage to the comprehensive pictorial language that was continuously evolving throughout his career. A proponent of free thinking, Haring often used the barking dog icon to shine a light on covert doctrinaires and to critique corrupt institutions. This version of Barking Dog is portrayed in Haring’s trademark thick outline, angular and simplistic. The white dog swims in a sea of blood-red, an interpretation that seems to take on new intensity and meaning with Haring’s striking selection of color. Barking Dog is a bold summation of the pervasiveness of the symbol across Haring’s body of work as an illustration and the significance of all that it represents in society.

One of the hallmarks of Haring’s life work was his fierce advocacy for accessible art. Haring drew from aboriginal art, graffiti, and Egyptian hieroglyphics to form his illustrative vernacular and turned out universally recognizable symbols such as Three-Eyed Monster, Radiant Baby, and Barking Dog, the use of which aided the artist in shifting previous conventions that separated artists from society as a form of classism and veneer of exclusivity. Haring’s work instead made direct communication with audiences from all walks of life. His symbols lended a specificity to the subjects of his works, which were laced with activism around important social topics that spanned from the AIDS epidemic to the exponentially growing impact of media and the dangers of its influence.