The Hans Christian Andersen 395 by Andy Warhol features several paper cut out pieces of characters from Andersen’s fairytales. Andersen’s stories and fairytales inspired Warhol to create prints illustrating these whimsical characters in various colors. This specific print has a light pastel background with a depiction of Andersen’s characters in royal blue. The dark figures against a mint green backdrop create a striking composition that characterizes Warhol’s inventive experimentation with color.
Hans Christian Andersen 395 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
Andy Warhol’s Hans Christian Andersen suite is a portfolio of four screenprints, three of which include a paper cut-out style based on characters from Andersen’s fairy tales. Andy Warhol was inspired by Andersen’s unique characters, which is why he devoted most of his suite to them, with only one portrait of the author himself. This series, completed in 1987, was printed by Rupert Jasen Smith in New York and published by Art Expo Danmark, Odense, Denmark. The complete Hans Christian Andersen suite includes FS II.349-201 and was posthumously stamped in black on verso. Hans Christian Andersen became famous for his fairy tales that transcended age and culture. Considering Warhol took great interest in creating portraits and series on iconic figures, it is not surprising that Warhol would choose to create a series on the very talented and well-known author and his many wonderful characters.
