X Man, from Icons (Littmann P. 171) by Keith Haring presents a single red figure frozen mid-leap against a brilliant yellow background. The image comes from Haring's Icons series of 1990, produced in the final months of his life when he was grappling with his AIDS diagnosis and reflecting on the symbolic power of his most recognisable motifs.

The central figure, rendered in Haring's characteristic bold red outlined in thick black contours, appears caught in an eternal moment of movement. A black cross marks the chest while radiating lines crown the head like a halo or burst of energy.

The embossed surface adds tactile dimension to the print, creating subtle relief that emphasises the figure's corporeal presence against the flat yellow background. This interplay between the physical and the symbolic speaks to Haring's ability to invest simple forms with profound meaning. Created during 1990, X Man emerged as part of Haring's concentrated effort to codify his most famous symbols through the Icons portfolio. The series represented both a summation of his visual mythology and a meditation on mortality, produced as the artist confronted his own declining health.

The silkscreen medium, which Haring had employed since his early collaborations with printmakers, allowed for the crisp definition of his graphic style while the embossment added a sculptural quality that made each impression physically unique.

The figure's suspended animation – caught between earth and sky, marked yet moving – embodies the tension between vulnerability and resilience that defined much of Haring's late work.

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