After The Party 1979

Andy Warhol made this screenprint, "After The Party," at some point during his career, though the exact date is unknown. It depicts the remnants of a social gathering, evoking themes of excess, fleeting pleasure, and the ephemerality of the "beautiful people" who frequented his studio. Working in the United States, Warhol captured the mood of a culture infatuated with celebrity and consumption. His selection of mundane objects and celebrity portraits challenges traditional art values and raises questions about what deserves representation in a society increasingly shaped by mass media. Consider the scene: the casual arrangement of glasses and tableware. Do they imply a critique of bourgeois values? Is it a celebration of the decadent lifestyle embraced by Warhol and his social circle? To answer these questions, one might consider the artist’s biography, New York’s art scene at the time, and contemporary publications. The meanings of art are never self-evident, and must be interpreted with reference to the conditions of their making.