Warhol applied his unique method to the classical tradition of “Still Life” portraits in his Grapes series. 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 192, Warhol imbues the still life with decadent colors such as pink, blue and green. The saturated color blocks create an abstracted composition, making the mundane subject an exciting and sensual work of pop art.
Grapes 192 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 Grapes series with diamond dust. For his still lifes he used traditional, everyday objects such as fruits and flowers. The Grapes portfolio shows great similarity to the Gems portfolio, both through the use of color and composition to give still life a pop art edge. Along with the increase of still life production, Warhol also began to incorporate more hand drawn lines into his compositions. This, along with his signature color prints, made for beautiful pieces that imbued modern conventions on an ages old artistic tradition.
