Flash 41 by Andy Warhol is part of a portfolio of eleven different screenprints based on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The piece was named for all the “news flash” texts that were being broadcast at the time. All of the prints were based on campaign posters, mass-media photographs, and advertisements. The prints were presented next to Teletype text taken straight from news sources. The title Flash – November 22, 1963 represents the date of the assassination and the constant news attention about the event. Flash 41 features President Kennedy’s face delicately outlined in purple on a black background, creating a quiet portrait of the President.
Flash 41 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
Warhol continued to use images from the media in his work while using the layering technique more to add depth to his images. Flash 41 demonstrates a clear statement about his feelings towards the media and how the American people react. Warhol is observing American society including its relationship with the media and its obsession with tragedy, which he returns to in later works. He continues to take on mass media in his work by challenging the norms and making people think differently. With this portfolio, Warhol revisits a subject he has already looked at with the Jacqueline Kennedy prints. However, this time Warhol is focusing on the man himself.