ANDY WARHOL, COW (F. & S. II. 12), COW SERIES, SIGNED SCREEN PRINT ON WALLPAPER, 1971
The screen print Cow (F. & S. II. 12), from Andy Warhol’s Cow portfolio (1966-76), shows a grainy, screen printed image of a cow’s head, coloured in bright yellow and completed with an electric blue background. Each rendered in unique, vivid colour schemes, the four Cow paintings were originally published for display at an exhibition in The Modern Art Pavilion in Seattle in November 1976.
Warhol appropriated a photograph chosen by his printer Gerard Malanga to create the screen print, through which he experimented with a range of techniques and colour to form the entire series. As a further reiteration of the print, Warhol decided to print the Cow series onto wallpaper, directly playing into the notion of high art as a saleable commodity and bringing the value of fine art into question. Subsequently the print has been installed directly onto the walls of galleries and museums, including at Warhol’s 1966 show at the Leo Castelli Gallery.
In stark contrast to the artist’s portraits of celebrities and products of mass-consumerism in America, this print depicts a more universal and mundane subject to create a humorous and playful image. The vivid colour contrasts and repetition of subject has been said to subvert the mundane subject and allude to the amusing idea of a cow on an acid trip.
Find out more about Cow by Andy Warhol.
ABOUT ANDY WARHOL
Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola) is a name synonymous with the celebrity culture and mass consumerism which coloured the boulevards of New York City in the Post World War II era. Born into a working class immigrant family in the urban landscape around the bustling metropolis, Warhol’s early life was characterised by a climb up the capitalist rungs of society.
The artist himself noted, “buying is more American than thinking, and I’m as American as they come”, this quote came to demarcate Warhol’s artistic practice as he embraced the commodification of the American Dream. The Pop artist’s beginnings in the business sector gave him the practical skill set to experiment with a more commercial approach to art throughout his career, particularly with regards to screen printing. Read more about Andy Warhol.
