Pelé 1977

Andy Warhol probably made this screenprint of Pelé sometime in the 1970s or 80s, and I just love how the image feels both super precise and kind of smeared and drippy at the same time. Imagine Warhol in his studio, pushing the squeegee across the screen, laying down those layers of color. You can see the way the light teal paint kind of explodes around the soccer ball and Pelé's head, making it feel like he’s radiating energy. What I love about Warhol is his attention to the surface. The flat, bold colors and the way he repeats images remind us that we're looking at a thing, an object, and not just a representation. It reminds me of other pop artists like James Rosenquist, who also used commercial techniques to make paintings that were both critical and celebratory. This piece feels very of its time, but also speaks to the ongoing conversation between artists about how we see and represent the world.