Martha Graham the Kick 389 by Andy Warhol out of frame
Andy Warhol - Letter to the World (The Kick) F.S. II 389 jpg
Warhol's signature on Martha Graham The Kick Letter to the World 389
Andy Warhol Letter to the world (The Kick) 389

Letter to the World (The Kick) 389

Catalog Title: Letter to the World (The Kick) (FS II.389)
Year: 1986
Size: 36" x 36"
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Edition: Edition of 100, 25 AP, 5 PP, 10 HC, 25 numbered in Roman numerals, signed and numbered in pencil on verso. Printed by Rupert Jasen Smith. Published by the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Inc., New York. Portfolio of 3.
Hidden

Letter to the World (The Kick) 389 by Andy Warhol is one of three screenprints in his Martha Graham series. This print depicts Martha Graham, the mother of modern dance, performing a fluent kick as part of her dramatic dance entitles “Letter to the World.” Warhol employs pink hues to Graham’s dress endorsing her femininity. The photograph that the print is based on was taken in 1940 by American photographer Barbara Morgan and became the most widely published photograph of Martha Graham. His hand-drawn lines accentuate the unanchored movement of her body and dress and capture the fluidity of movement through a two-dimensional medium

Letter to the World (The Kick) 389 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work

The portfolio was created to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance in New York. Warhol captures the beauty of a different art form, dance, and replicates its splendor in a still two-dimensional image. The source image for the series was taken by American photographer Barbara Morgan, who was best known for her depictions of modern dancers. This series compliments Graham by showing a variation of her abilities not just as a dancer, but as someone who communicates profound emotion through movement and physical expression. His other screenprints of Graham include Lamentation and Satyric Festival Song, both of which showcase different facets of Grahams emotional and physical depth through her dance.

Photo credit: Martha Graham in Letter to the World (Kick), 1940. Barbara and Willard Morgan photographs and papers, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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