Unidentified Woman (Young Blonde in Blue Polyester Blazer) 1974

Andy Warhol made this Polaroid of an Unidentified Woman, a young blonde in a blue polyester blazer, sometime in his career, possibly using his classic Big Shot camera. The colours are faded, giving the piece a melancholic, vintage feel, but it's also a little unsettling. It's the kind of image you might find tucked away in a family album, but the glossy sheen and Warhol's signature eye transform it into something else entirely. Notice how the light catches the woman’s cheek, creating a subtle highlight. Her expression is enigmatic; is it vulnerability or a practiced pose? The blue polyester blazer is almost luminous in the photograph, reflecting light in an unexpected way, the overall effect is to flatten and exaggerate the image simultaneously. Warhol's work often plays with the tension between the mass-produced and the unique. You could consider his early screenprints as a good comparison. Ultimately, the mystery of the woman and Warhol’s fascination with surface and celebrity coalesce, leaving you to ponder the nature of identity and representation.