Rorschach 1984

Andy Warhol created this Rorschach sometime before 1987. It’s all swooshy black ink slapped down on a white surface. It’s a classic Rorschach test, and it has this eerie symmetry. I like to think of the moment Warhol made this, maybe he was thinking about Jackson Pollock, the way he dripped and splattered, but instead of all that colourful chaos, Warhol went for this stark black and white. It makes me think of a mirror, or maybe one of those ink blots you make as a kid by folding paper. The ink looks so fluid, like it just flowed out of the brush, it’s almost like he’s trying to show us what’s in our heads when we see it. I keep seeing bats. Making this work is another part of a long art conversation. It seems like a kind of invitation to find meaning in the abstract. It’s a challenge and a reflection on what we bring to the canvas.