Jackie 1964

Here is a portrait of Jackie Kennedy in bright blue against dense black, painted by Andy Warhol. I imagine the act of painting itself being like a screen printing process, a trial, error, and intuition. I can imagine Warhol deciding on the blue, and I can see how the material aspects of painting, like texture, color, and the physicality of the medium, shape our experience. The blue is so prominent here, it is thick yet sprayed on which gives it that dotted texture. Maybe it was to do with the way the paint lay on the canvas that made him choose this image. What was Warhol thinking when he was making this? This piece relates to Warhol's wider practice and body of work, as well as the work of other painters. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.