Ludo 1 is a 1985 lithograph on paper by Keith Haring. The Ludo portfolio is a set of particularly interesting work in Haring’s oeuvre, as it is a departure stylistically from his more decidedly political pieces. The Ludo portfolio flows between exuberant absurdism and horror, open to interpretation for the reason, but in line with the flow of extremes that come with life.
“I paint images that are derivative of my own personal exploration. I leave it up to others to decipher them, to understand their symbolism and implications” (1979).
Such was Keith Haring’s philosophy that flushed his oeuvre and Ludo. It is a whimsical and playful work, featuring a creature that is ingenuous and otherworldly, which embodies the sense of wonder and possibility that was so central to Haring’s outlook. Ludo’s form is reminiscent of a Seussian character, a simplistic outline filled with bright red and excited fragments. The figure is charged with a question both by its pose and its comic-esque movement lines like those that occupied the Charlie Brown illustrations that influenced Haring’s style. In Ludo 1, Haring’s ability to create universally resonant imagery is fully manifested.
