Comparative Artist StudyArt Journals

Of Keith Haring

& Dan Eldon

BIOGRAPHIES

- Born May 4, 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania- Died of AIDS on February 16, 1990 in New York City- American artist and social activist- Represented concepts of birth, death, sexuality, war, and love.- As a child, Haring learnt a love for art at a very early age, learning basic cartooning skills from his father, and from the popular culture around him, such as Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney.- Upon High School graduation, Keith enrolled in the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, a commercial arts school. He soon realized that he had very little interest in becoming a commercial graphic artist, and, after two semesters, dropped out.- While in Pittsburgh, Haring continued to study and work independently, and in 1978, had a solo exhibition of his work at the Pittsburgh Arts and Crafts Center.- Later that year, he moved to New York and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts (SVA). In New York, he discovered a thriving alternative art community, developing outside of galleries and museums, in the downtown streets and subways. Here, he became friends with fellow artists Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as the musicians, performance artists, and graffiti writers that comprised this burgeoning underground art community.

KEITH HARING

- Born in London on the 17th of September, 1970- Stoned to death in Mogadishu, Somalia on July 12th, 1993- Photo-journalist, artist, activist- At 7 years old, Dan and his parents moved to Nairobi, Kenya- In 1982, an attempted coup in Kenya left Dan and his family in the aftermath of a political crisis. Eldon assisted his mother in her free-lance journalist career, learning the ropes of journalism at a young age- Soon after, Dan began practicing photography, with his pictures featured in local newspapers and magazines- At the age of 15, he started producing journals filled with collages, photographs, writing, and drawings- Dan graduated from the International School of Kenya in 1988, and travelled to New York for a job at a magazine. - Later that year, he enrolled at Pasadena City College. - After a summer of travelling from Nairobi to Malawi in a Land Rover, Eldon transferred to UCLA, and frequently travelled to African countries to visit and work on various projects over the course of his studies.

DAN ELDON

JOURNALS

-Used his art journal as a bank for ideas, thoughts, sketches, reflections theories, poems, financial notes, etc...- Used his journals to document day to day life, rather than life experiences and travels.- Less personal- Useful tool, rather than work of art -

-Created most of his journals between the ages of 15 and 22-Filled with collages, photographs, drawings, food labels, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, etc.-Documented his adventures and travels in his journals.-Often used satire and cartoons as commentary. -Kept his journals as personal statements, which he shared with only a few people.- Considered his books to be pieces of art themselves

Keith H.Dan E.

Dan Eldon

Keith Haring