1966. Silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer paint on nine canvases, Each canvas 22 1/2 x 22 1/2" (57.2 x 57.2 cm), overall 67 5/8 x 67 5/8" (171.7 x 171.7 cm)
Self-Portrait (1966) was constructed in what would become one of Warhol’s signature styles—a grid of bright, repeated silkscreened portraits. An expert colorist, Warhol paired primary and secondary colors as well as different shades of the same color.
In the latter part of his career, Warhol focused more and more on portraiture. He created portraits of people he admired—musicians Michael Jackson and Grace Jones, athletes O.J. Simpson and Muhammed Ali—as well as wealthy socialites he met on the New York social circuit. By the mid-1960s, Warhol had amassed a huge public following of artists, filmmakers, performers, writers, and art patrons seduced by his persona. Engaging in the painting of self-portraits only further cultivated his fame. In time, Warhol’s self-portraits became as famous as the iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor. The artist had himself become a celebrity.
One of three base colors (blue, red, or yellow) that can be combined to make a range of colors.
A distinctive or characteristic manner of expression.
A printing technique in which areas of a silkscreen, comprised of woven mesh stretched on a frame, are selectively blocked off with a non-permeable material (typically a photo-emulsion, paper, or plastic film) to form a stencil, which is a negative of the image to be printed. Ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface with a squeegee, creating a positive image.
A representation of oneself made by oneself.
A representation of a particular individual.
The perceived hue of an object, produced by the manner in which it reflects or emits light into the eye. Also, a substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that imparts a hue.
The Films of Andy Warhol
Warhol began to make films in 1963. His subjects were often unscripted ordinary events—a man getting a haircut (Haircut), a man sleeping (Sleep), a person eating a mushroom (Eat), or two people kissing. He also filmed Screen Tests (1964–66), portraits of friends who were instructed to sit as still as possible while the camera rolled. Warhol, too, was no stranger to the camera and was photographed often by his friends, the press, and documentary filmmakers.