Northwest Coast Mask, from Cowboys and Indians 1986

This screenprint of a Northwest Coast mask was made by Andy Warhol as part of his “Cowboys and Indians” series. Warhol was fascinated by the visual power of indigenous art, but also by its cultural commodification. The screenprinting process itself – a mechanical, repeatable technique - is key here. Warhol took an image of a Native American mask, likely from a mass-produced source, and transferred it to a screen. Ink was then pushed through the screen onto the paper, creating a bold, graphic image. Note the flat areas of color, the hard edges, and the slightly misregistered lines. These are all hallmarks of the screenprinting process, and they give the image a Pop Art sensibility. Warhol's choice of materials and processes challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and commercial production. It asks us to consider how cultural artifacts are transformed and consumed in a world driven by mass production and capitalism.