In 1985, Keith Haring created a series of lithographs that captured the spirit of the time with bold lines, graphic imagery, and a fearless attitude towards societal issues. The second lithograph in the series, Lithograph 2/3, features a monstrous face with exaggerated features and phallic details that immediately draw the viewer’s attention. The surreal quality of the work is less straightforward than Haring’s signature style, yet is characterized by his usual display of geometric shapes and bold lines, the simplicity of which is universally accessible, much like the children’s books and pictorial languages that inspired his style.

In contrast to the first lithograph in the series, which depicts a power dynamic between two figures, the second lithograph is more introspective and self-reflective. The monstrous face appears to be struggling with something, perhaps an internal battle, a struggle with drugs, or the weight of the AIDS crisis. Haring was not only an artist, but a passionate activist who used his platform to address issues including war, drug abuse, racism, and AIDS that were affecting his community, to challenge societal prejudices and institutional injustice. Haring also created his works as a means of fostering connection between people in hopes of inciting inspiration to develop a more promising future.

In Lithograph ⅔, Haring departs from his more satirical works that mesh colorful comedy with serious themes and ventures towards horror and distress. The composition features gestural lines that create a dynamism about the character and body parts that appear to be mid-movement and tense, as if caught screaming. Haring uses phallic imagery in this composition, a motif prominent throughout his body of work and sometimes associating the narratives with larger themes of queer love and sexuality. Like the majority of his works, Haring’s Pop style is open to interpretation, but Lithograph ⅔ is undoubtedly an emotionally charged composition that showcases Haring’s depth.