Watercolor Paint Kit 288 by Andy Warhol was created in 1982. It was a time during which Warhol was heavily criticized for being consumed with the business side of the art world. This offset lithograph was published as a part of a fundraiser for the New York Association for the Blind. The choice of subject matter is intriguing as it pays reference to the “traditional” means of creating art, being created by hand. Warhol was so revolutionary because of his rejection of the tedious process required to create handmade art. As he so proudly stated when asked about the philosophy behind his style and technique, “I think everybody should be a machine…The reason I’m painting this way is that I want to be a machine.”
Watercolor Paint Kit 288 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
Watercolor Paint Kit 288 is a work that displays a very unique subject matter for Warhol. It is not often that his art portrays an idea or image relating to the conventions he rejected as an artist who capitalized on the efficiency of the mass-producing screenprinting technique. This print is an example of just how versatile Warhol was willing to be without losing the unorthodox style that made him so unique.