Heart Shaped Candy Box 1984

Andy Warhol made this striking print of a heart shaped candy box, using bold black ink on a bright red ground. It looks like a screen print, so the ink sits right on the surface. The red is punchy. It's so flat, it almost vibrates against the black. You can feel the texture of the canvas underneath, which makes the image seem less mechanical and more human, more about the hand. I love the way the details of the heart are almost lost in the boldness of the gesture, its like love itself, where the details can often get lost. It's interesting to see Warhol working with such a simple, almost naive image. It reminds me a little of some of Sister Corita Kent’s prints, the way they use simple shapes and bold colors to get their message across. Both artists remind us that art is often about a dialogue.