Unidentified Woman (Young Blonde in Blue Polyester Blazer) 1974

This small polaroid was made by Andy Warhol, sometime before 1987. The colours are a little faded, and the surface is slick. It's of a young blonde woman, maybe snapped in the factory. The pale blue blazer has an odd glow, a kind of awkward glam that only the 70s can deliver, while the pink around her lips and cheeks is delicate, but also a little too much. I like the way the light catches the waves in her hair, turning it into a cascade of warm tones. There's a slightly tragic beauty in the way Warhol captures this woman. There's a strange vulnerability in her eyes, and it's this that makes the photograph so affecting, even now. In some ways, Warhol's polaroids remind me of Fairfield Porter's portraits, both filled with an appreciation for the awkwardness of everyday life. Each artist saw painting, or photography, as a conversation with the world.