ANDY WARHOL, MARTIN BUBER (F. & S. II.228), TEN PORTRAITS OF JEWS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, SCREEN PRINT IN COLOURS, 1980
The screen print Martin Buber (F. & S. II.228) from Andy Warhol’s Ten Portraits Of Jews Of The Twentieth Century series (1980), shows a portrait of the famous Jewish philosopher best known for the philosophy of dialogue, a new form of existentialism. The print employs Warhol’s graphic style that became characteristic of the latter part of his career, using an appropriated photographic image against an abstracted background and contoured crayon-like lines.
The Ten Portraits Of Jews Of The Twentieth Century series was the idea of Warhol’s dealer, Ronald Feldmen who, along with Susan Feldman, the art gallery director of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Washington, came up with the list of ten names. This print is one of the darker portraits of the series wherein Warhol uses largely dark hues of blue against red and black outlines. The original image is barely visible behind the veneer of 1980s Pop Art and Warhol creates a pulsating image with his deliberately misaligned hand drawn contours.
Warhol transforms this historical image into an icon that pervades in the present, alluding to Buber’s lasting fame in 1980s American popular culture. Not only does this play into Warhol’s exploration in themes of mortality that are present throughout his entire career, but it captures his continued infatuation with the concept of fame. Warhol uses a mixture of hand drawn lines, unlikely colours, abstracted geometric shapes and the original photographic image to present the paradox between representation and reality.
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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.
