Knives 1982

Andy Warhol made this print of 'Knives' using silkscreen techniques. He laid down blocks of vibrant color; reds, yellows, pinks and blues, against a stark black ground. I can imagine Warhol, with his silver hair, thinking about violence and domesticity, the everyday becoming sinister and surreal. It's like when you find yourself staring at an object you use every day and suddenly it seems totally alien. The flatness of the print, the bold colors, it's so immediate, so Warhol. He takes something as loaded as knives and then multiplies and repeats them, muting their power, forcing us to see them anew. Warhol was in conversation with so many artists, Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg, all playing with pop imagery and repetition. It makes you wonder, what other ordinary, overlooked things could become extraordinary?