Northwest Coast Mask (F. & S. II.380)
Northwest Coast Mask (F. & S. II.380)
Signed Print
Andy Warhol
Screenprint, 1986
Signed Print Edition of 250
H 91cm x W 91cm
Critical Review
Printed in 1986, Northwest Coast Mask (F. & S. II.380) is a signed screen print by Andy Warhol on Lenox Museum Board that depicts a traditional mask that was often worn in cultural celebrations in the Native American community. The type of mask portrayed in this print tends to be made from wood which is then painted with three primary colours. The mask is rendered in this print in bold red, blue and yellow colours against a white backdrop. Delicate hand-drawn lines add detail to the masks design. The print is set against a white backdrop, abstracting it from its traditional setting and historical context.
Northwest Coast Mask (F. & S. II.380) is one of ten graphic screen prints that compose the Cowboys And Indians series. In this series, Warhol takes archetypal figures and objects that capture America’s romanticised vision of the American West. Prints like this and Kachina Dolls (F. & S. II.381) use objects to represent tokens of native American culture and contrast with the prints of famous figures such as Geronimo and Annie Oakley. Northwest Coast Mask (F. & S. II.380) reflects Warhol's fascination with objects that are imbued with cultural significance. By rendering the traditional mask in his Pop Art style, Warhol commodifies this historical object and transforms it into a 20th century icon of popular culture.
The print was made using Warhol's signature screen printing method which he developed while working as a freelance commercial illustrator. Known for its capacity to mass-produce imagery to be widely distributed, the printing technique mirrors the way in which mass media spreads contrived imagery which can affect our understanding and perception of history.
