color theory

AndyWarhol

Color& Shape

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Camouflage, 1987screen prints on Lenox Museum Board, 38 x 38 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Founding Collection,Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. © AWF

Shapes are enclosed objects and canbe created by line, color and valuechanges that define their edges.

Shapes can be:

organic (irregular shapes foundin nature) also called “natural”

geometric (shapes with stronglines and angles such as circles,triangles, and squares).

Shape is consideredto be a two-dimensionalelement, while three-dimensional elementshave volume or mass.

Shape

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Skulls, 1979Screen print on Lenox Museum Board 30 x 40 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, PittsburghFounding Collection, Contribution Dia Center for the Arts. © AWF

Why is it important to consider bothpositive and negative space whencreating your composition?

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Space Fruit: Still Lifes (Cantaloupes I), 1979screen print on Lenox Museum Board30 x 40 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, PittsburghFounding Collection, Contribution Dia Centerfor the Arts © AWF

What is positive and negative space?

Identify anddescribe the shapes.

Are they organic orgeometric?

How are the shapes’edges defined?

Identify thedominant shapes ineach composition.Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)

Space Fruit: Still Lifes, 1979screen print on Lenox Museum Board, 30 x 40 in. eachThe Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Founding CollectionContribution Dia Center for the Arts © AWF

Andy Warhol’s Printing Process:

Warhol would print the background color and the shapesfirst, then the photographic image of fruit, finishing withhand drawn layer.

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Space Fruit: Still Lifes (Pears), 1979screen print on Lenox Museum Board30 x 40 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, PittsburghFounding CollectionContribution Dia Center for the Arts © AWF

Andy Warhol (American,1928-1987)Grapes, 1979screen print on StrathmoreBristol Series 500 paper40 x 30 in.The Andy Warhol Museum,Pittsburgh, FoundingCollectionContribution The AndyWarhol Foundation for theVisual Arts, Inc. © AWF

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Skulls, 1979Screen print on Lenox Museum Board 30 x 40 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Founding CollectionContribution Dia Center for the Arts. © AWF

Color Theory

Why is colortheoryimportant?

MonochromaticUses shades or tintsfrom the same hue

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Sunset, 1972Screen print on Paper34 x 34 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Founding CollectionContribution Dia Center for the Arts © AWF

Neutral ColorsNeutral colors or earth tones are not seen on most colorwheels. Black, gray, whites are neutral. Browns, beiges andtans are sometimes neutral too. Neutral colors can be madeby mixing:

• Black and white

• Complementary colors

• All three primaries together (plus some black or white)

AnalogousAny three colors which are sideby side on a 12 part color wheel,such as yellow-green, yellow,and yellow-orange. Usually oneof the three colorspredominates.

Andy Warhol(American, 1928-1987)

Camouflage, 1987 Screen prints on Lenox

Museum Board 38 x 38 in.

The Andy Warhol MuseumPittsburgh Founding CollectionContribution The Andy WarholFoundation for the Visual Arts,

Inc. © AWF


Cologne Cathedral, 1985 Screen prints with diamond

dust on Lenox Museum Board39 3/8 x 31 1/2 in.

The Andy Warhol MuseumPittsburgh Founding CollectionContribution The Andy WarholFoundation for the Visual Arts,

Inc. © AWF

ComplementaryTwo colors that are the direct oppositeof each other, such as red and greenand blue-purple and yellow-orange.Complementary colors create the mostcontrast and balance in design.

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Flowers, 1970, screen print on paper, 36 x 36 in. The Andy Warhol Museum, PittsburghFounding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. © AWF

Space Fruit: Still Lifes (Pears), 1979 screen print on Lenox Museum Board 30 x 40 in. The Andy Warhol Museum, PittsburghFounding Collection, Contribution Dia Center for the Arts © AWF

Analogous withComplementaryemphasis


Flowers, 1970Screen print on paper

36 x 36 in.The Andy Warhol Museum,

Pittsburgh,Founding Collection

Contribution The AndyWarhol Foundation for the

Visual Arts, Inc. © AWF


Sunset, 1972Screen print on Paper

34” x 34”The Andy Warhol

Museum, Pittsburgh,Founding Collection

Contribution Dia Centerfor the Arts © AWF

Value


Camouflage, 1986acrylic and silkscreen

ink on linen 40 x 40 in.

The Andy WarholMuseum, Pittsburgh,Founding Collection,

Contribution The AndyWarhol Foundation for

the Visual Arts, Inc.© AWF


Camouflage, 1986acrylic and silkscreen

ink on linen 40 x 40 in.

The Andy WarholMuseum, Pittsburgh,Founding Collection,

Contribution The AndyWarhol Foundation for

the Visual Arts, Inc.© AWF

Tint andShade

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Flowers, 1970Screen print on paper36 x 36 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, PittsburghFounding Collection,Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundationfor the Visual Arts, Inc. © AWF

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Camouflage, 1987Screen prints on Lenox Museum Board38 x 38 in.The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh,Founding CollectionContribution The Andy Warhol Foundationfor the Visual Arts, Inc. © AWF

TemperatureColor temperate can helpenhance the mood of animage.

Andy Warhol (American,1928-1987) Vesuvius,

1985 screen print on Arches88 paper, 31 7/16 x 39 1/4

in. The Andy WarholMuseum, PittsburghFounding Collection,

Contribution The AndyWarhol Foundation for the

Visual Arts, Inc. © AWF

ColorVariations

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Camouflage, 1986acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen40 x 40 in. eachThe Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Founding Collection,Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.© AWF

Test yourknowledge

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)Space Fruit: Still Lifes, 1979,screen print on Lenox Museum Board30 x 40 in. eachThe Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Founding CollectionContribution Dia Center for the Arts © AWF

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color theory