Grapes #2 1979

Andy Warhol made "Grapes #2" with ink on paper using screenprinting, which can be a real hands-on process, despite its mechanical feel. Looking at the solid blocks of color—acid yellow, leaf green, purple, and blue—all slightly off-kilter, you can see a history of abstraction. Then, the scribbled lines, like a kid went at it with a crayon, suggest a quickness, a directness. I can imagine Andy, maybe a little bored, but still pushing to see what happens if he just lets it rip, mixing high and low, messing with expectations. The grapes themselves are rendered in such a way as to make them look almost sinister. It’s like Warhol is asking, "How can I make something both artificial and alive?" He's in conversation with all those painters who came before him, from Matisse to Johns, all wrestling with the same questions. It's this ongoing exchange that keeps painting fresh.