Paintings for Children 1983

Andy Warhol’s “Paintings for Children” features a robot rendered in screenprint, a technique he used a lot. What's so striking here is the layering, that red on red, creating a visual buzz, a kind of afterimage. The colors aren't blended; they're just stacked, letting each hue vibrate against the others. Look closely, and you’ll see the texture of the canvas fighting through the flat blocks of color. The robot form is simplified but recognizable. The pink and blue sections, though separate, almost seem to merge, playing tricks on your eyes. I see Warhol as a conduit, like a medium channeling the spirit of the readymade. Like Johns, or even Duchamp, he takes something familiar, something mass-produced, and asks us to look at it differently. He's not making a statement, more like holding up a mirror, or a funny lens. You know, art’s not about answers, it’s about asking interesting questions, and Warhol was a master of that game.