Kiku 1983

Andy Warhol made this Kiku print using screenprinting. The divided image vibrates with pinks, oranges, blues, and reds, colors that aren’t quite natural but that pop with a certain artificial flavor. I can picture Andy in his studio, layering color upon color, almost like a DJ mixing tracks. He’s pushing the boundaries of repetition and difference. Each print a slightly off-kilter version of the last, and I bet he enjoyed the unpredictable results. I can imagine him really focused on this simple flower, trying to capture its very essence in a way that's graphic and bold, but also kind of vulnerable. It reminds me of other artists who take everyday objects and turn them into something iconic, like Warhol's soup cans, or his portraits of celebrities. He was always exploring the tension between art and commerce, between the unique and the mass-produced. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.