Warhol applied his unique method to the classical tradition of the “Still Life” genre in his Grapes portfolio, including this print of Grapes 190. Where past artists were interested in depicting a scene of various fruits in the most realistic light possible, Warhol eschewed convention by taking a classical theme and adding a modern perspective. For Grapes 190, Warhol imbues the still life with decadent colors of red, orange, pink and green. This print is characterized by geometric blocks of bright colors that emphasizes the two dimensionality of the print. Similar to Warhol’s Space Fruit portfolio, this image of grapes is almost unrecognizable due to its surreal palette and color blocking technique.
Grapes 190 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
Warhol’s Grapes series was a part of the several still life portraits he began to produce in the 1970s. He also produced a special edition series with diamond dust. For his still lifes, he used traditional, everyday objects such as fruits and flowers. Along with the increase of still life production, Warhol also began to incorporate more hand drawn lines into his compositions. This, along with his five other colored prints, made for beautiful pieces that later became known as the Grapes series.
