Andy Warhol, Heaven And Hell Are Just One Breath Away, 1985-86; Synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas; 20 x 16 inches

by Caroline Newman

Prism LA is currently featuring an impressive suite of Andy Warhol’s black and white paintings, highlighting his timeless critique of consumerism, politics, and religion.  Approximately 35 black and white paintings by Warhol from the late 1980’s are on display.  All works are done in Warhol’s signature high contrast style, but some contain text, some contain imagery, and some both.  The focus turns directly towards the stark text or solitary image by leaving out all details.

Themes of consumerism, politics, and religion have always played a key role in Warhol’s work.  This body of work demonstrates that not much has changed in the importance of these issues since the works were completed.  Advertisements for apartment buildings, shoes, and food are all dominated by the image of whatever is being sold and over-sized text followed by exclamation points.  Perhaps Warhol presaged the recent controversy in Los Angeles on over-sized billboards?  “Missile Maps” (1985) contains a map of the U.S.S.R. covering most of the canvas with every missile base marked by an image of a missile.   Continue reading ‘Warhol Still Relevant’