The Witch 1981

Andy Warhol's "The Witch" is a vivid screenprint, a medium he embraced for its reproducibility and pop sensibility. Look at that acid-green face against the purple background! It's a high-key, almost jarring combination, and the process is all about layering flat, bold colors. The texture comes from the silk screen itself, that slightly uneven application of ink giving it a handmade feel despite the mechanical process. The red outline, like a hasty afterthought, adds a nervous energy. Notice the way the black ink defines the contours of her face and hat, almost like a coloring book illustration gone wild. The whole image vibrates with a kind of raw, theatrical intensity. Warhol's witches and celebrities share a similar space in his work, figures of fascination, manufactured and endlessly reproduced. Think about Edvard Munch, whose "The Scream" is a similar image of raw emotion. It is all about how the marks and colours can create an atmosphere of unease. Art, like a good spell, can have many interpretations, and that’s its power.