A Formal Analysis of Andy Warhol’s Statue of Liberty
Andy Warhol created his silk screen painting Statue of Liberty in 1962 using silkscreen ink and spray paint on linen. Just as the title suggests, the painting’s subject is the Statue of Liberty, repeated in a pattern twelve times (not including the right side of the painting where the image repeats four additional times, but is cut off). The painting is currently being exhibited at the Arkansas Arts Center, but it belongs to the Andy Warhol
Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is relatively large at 80 by 61 inches (that’s bigger than me!). One must look up at the painting if not standing far enough away to view it in its entirety.
The image that repeats twelve times in the painting is that of the Statue of Liberty standing face on, and we view her from her legs up. We are able to see her torch, or at least most of it, and the horizon in the background. The painting is mostly in the cool hue of blue, but not in its normal value; it may have some green mixed in with it. In contrast to the blue, there is the warm hue of red visible in the top right quarter of the painting.
The painting is not centered on the linen, but rather somewhat aligned to the right, so there is a significant amount of unused or unpainted space on the left side. The repetition of the statue’s image gives the work a sense of unity, while the differences between the twelve images in the pattern (and there are many) offer variety.
It appears as though the image of the statue itself is not painted for the most part, but it must be to some degree or it would not be distinguishable, so it must be a significantly lighter value than the blue that colors in the ocean. The sky in the background is the color of linen. The blue and/or red paint (depending on which rectangle it is) fills in the ocean in the bottom two thirds of each rectangular image. In about three fourths of the rectangles there is a cloud of blue in a darker value than that used on the statue that shrouds the
Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is relatively large at 80 by 61 inches (that’s bigger than me!). One must look up at the painting if not standing far enough away to view it in its entirety.
The image that repeats twelve times in the painting is that of the Statue of Liberty standing face on, and we view her from her legs up. We are able to see her torch, or at least most of it, and the horizon in the background. The painting is mostly in the cool hue of blue, but not in its normal value; it may have some green mixed in with it. In contrast to the blue, there is the warm hue of red visible in the top right quarter of the painting.
The painting is not centered on the linen, but rather somewhat aligned to the right, so there is a significant amount of unused or unpainted space on the left side. The repetition of the statue’s image gives the work a sense of unity, while the differences between the twelve images in the pattern (and there are many) offer variety.
It appears as though the image of the statue itself is not painted for the most part, but it must be to some degree or it would not be distinguishable, so it must be a significantly lighter value than the blue that colors in the ocean. The sky in the background is the color of linen. The blue and/or red paint (depending on which rectangle it is) fills in the ocean in the bottom two thirds of each rectangular image. In about three fourths of the rectangles there is a cloud of blue in a darker value than that used on the statue that shrouds the