Two other incomplete human figures appear to either side, each lacking a head with their necks flowing into other lines of the painting.
These purple streaks are smudged and distributed in an apparently random arrangement across the bottom of the completed portion of the painting.
Haring was a proponent of ACT UP, a political group working to end the AIDS epidemic, and was known to have donated tens of thousands of dollars to the cause.
"[8] Some have posited that Unfinished Painting was completed on canvas to give the piece an element of formality, distinguishing it from his other works.
[9] This painting has since become an icon of artwork of the AIDS epidemic, often discussed and exhibited with pieces such as "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) and the work of Robert Mapplethorpe.
[1] This painting was on display with "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, from October 30 through February 13, 2011.
Many found the action to be disrespectful, both in that the "completion" ignored Haring's artistic autonomy and that it changed the aspect of the painting which stood as a memorial to those who died to the AIDS epidemic.