Pine Barrens Tree Frog 1983

Andy Warhol's screenprint of a Pine Barrens Tree Frog explodes with flat planes of contrasting color. It’s like Warhol's saying, "Here, have a frog, but not just any frog, a super-saturated, high-impact frog!" I can imagine him in his studio, maybe with the Velvet Underground blasting in the background, pushing the limits of color and form. There's a kind of mad scientist energy to this piece, a desire to see just how far he can push the image before it bursts. It’s fascinating how these bold colors and stark outlines create a new kind of presence, a new way of seeing this little amphibian. You know, it's funny, Warhol's frogs always remind me of those Matisse cutouts. I think each of them is encouraging us to look at the world with fresh eyes, to find the extraordinary in the everyday.