ANDY WARHOL, KACHINA DOLLS (F. & S. II.381), COWBOYS AND INDIANS, SIGNED SCREEN PRINT IN COLOURS, EDITION OF 250, 1986
Printed in 1986, Kachina Dolls (F. & S. II.381) is a signed screen print on Lenox Museum Board by Andy Warhol that depicts a Kachina doll, a token of Native American culture. Kachina dolls were traditionally made by Native American tribes and carved out of cottonwood root. In this print, the dolls are rendered against a white backdrop in Warhol's emblematic Pop Art style, characterised by his playful use of colour.
Kachina Dolls (F. & S. II.381) is one of ten graphic screen prints that Warhol produced as part of the Cowboys And Indians series. This print captures the way in which Warhol took archetypal figures and objects of the American West to inspire the prints in the series. Kachina dolls were used in coming of age rituals amongst Native American tribes to instruct young women about the spirits who control the natural world. The way in which Warhol has appropriated this cultural object and transformed it using his signature style into a popular culture icon reflects how visions of the American West were distorted and romanticised through popular culture.
Focussing on symbolic objects, this print differs from others in the series in which Warhol depicts famous figures of American history, such as Sitting Bull and Geronimo, or actors like John Wayne who starred in Western films. Rendered against a black backdrop, extracting the Kachina dolls from their historical context, Warhol makes a political comment on the way in which mass-produced and idealised images of national history in popular culture can simplify or erase particular histories. In Kachina Dolls (F. & S. II.381), the artist draws attention to popular interpretations of the American West to create an ironic political commentary on mass media and the way in which imagery can affect perceptions of history.
Read more about Cowboys And Indians by Andy Warhol.
ABOUT ANDY WARHOL
Widely considered to be the father of Pop Art, Andy Warhol has influenced countless artists, designers and musicians and become an icon of the 20th century. Known as much for his look as his art, his name is synonymous with the celebrity culture and mass consumerism which came to define the American Dream. Learn more about Andy Warhol.
