Shadows I

In 1978 Andy Warhol created his famous Shadows paintings, images of distorted shadow photographs of unknown origin and subject. The compositions highlight Warhol's relationship to the ambiguous nature of images in his work. Preferring to leave behind only the transient play of light and dark, Warhol foregoes meaning and understanding of a well-known subject. As he vacates the picture plane completely, we are no longer able to focus on our associations with his subjects and thus are left to concentrate on their absence. Shadows also connects Warhol to the legacy of Abstract Expressionism. As a rare excerpt on abstraction for the artist, these images present his take on the monumental brushstroke, conceived in his own matrix of neon colors and diamond dust. Expectedly he attempted to discourage comparison or invite any serious interpretation of the images, calling these works 'disco décor'.

The present portfolio is an exceedingly rare, complete example of the Shadows subject in the print medium. In this portfolio, each unique screenprint was assembled in a mixed variation selected at random by the Factory. As an uncommon foray into abstraction they offer a more literal presentation of Warhol's obsession with a vacant surface, as he famously stated: 'if you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it.'