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拍品專文
Set against brilliant blue and vibrant crimson backgrounds, Andy Warhol’s society portraits dazzle with glamor, majesty and striking beauty. Portrait of a Lady, from 1983, immortalizes the unknown sitter who is transformed by Warhol’s unique creative process, refined through years of dedicated practice. The luminous red lip, accented with a glossy highlight, compliments the elegant subject’s lavish diamond earrings, pastel hued eye shadow, and halo of noir hair in a captivating exemplification of Warhol’s late portraiture.
While the two portraits were created from the same source material, the Warhol polaroid of the sitter, Warhol’s distinct creative vision produces two distinct artworks, while also exemplifying his commitment to seriality. One, bathed in a cool blue with lilac eyes and scarcely visible contours, carries an aura of calm contentment and repose, as the other, bursting forth from her electric red backdrop in strong definition, opens wide seafoam eyes in a confident spectacle of poise and exuberance. Sophisticated without lacking in excitement, these dual simulacra function as modern renditions of classical portraiture, displaying the stylistic ingenuity of the artist on the backdrop of its patron.
Created in 1983, Portrait of a Lady falls in the depths of Andy Warhol’s prolific career as a portraiture artist. Beginning in the early 60s, Warhol’s portrait process was extensive and well known amongst those who would sit for him. Shooting through generally around 10 rolls of black and white polaroid film per session, Warhol always ensured he ended up with the perfect photo that was both pleasing to himself and his subjects. Pose was the most important factor for Warhol, a slight turn of the shoulder or lifting of the head being the difference between effortless glamour and trite construction. His highly desired portraits were so sought after because, as Carter Ratcliff wrote, “anyone can be made to look good or bad, and Warhol could be counted on to opt for the former” (C. Ratcliff quoted in T. Shafrazi, Andy Warhol Portraits, exh. cat. Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, 2005, pp. 18). Following the selection of the elusive perfect photo, the negative would be sent to a laboratory where it could be transformed into a large acetate reproduction to be used for the creation of his iconic silkscreens. Finally, with precision and full creative control, Warhol transferred the visage from screen to canvas, leaving a vivid imprint that would stand steadfast in the canon of art history for decades to come.
A pioneer in many aspects, Warhol was not the first to add wealthy patrons to the everlasting history of art. Highly regarded for his commissioned portraiture, John Singer Sargent was one of many to create grand masterpieces in service of those with the means to request them. One of his most notable, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, depicts a beautiful noblewoman reclining in lavish elegance, yet it is not celebrated for the prestige or notoriety of its subject. Rather this work of Sargent’s has remained in such high regard for its masterful creation of delicate furls of fabric on soft complexion and mesmerizing brushwork. Likewise, for Portrait of a Lady, the work’s unknown sitter serves merely as a vessel for Warhol to convey the refinement of his revolutionary artistic medium.
While the two portraits were created from the same source material, the Warhol polaroid of the sitter, Warhol’s distinct creative vision produces two distinct artworks, while also exemplifying his commitment to seriality. One, bathed in a cool blue with lilac eyes and scarcely visible contours, carries an aura of calm contentment and repose, as the other, bursting forth from her electric red backdrop in strong definition, opens wide seafoam eyes in a confident spectacle of poise and exuberance. Sophisticated without lacking in excitement, these dual simulacra function as modern renditions of classical portraiture, displaying the stylistic ingenuity of the artist on the backdrop of its patron.
Created in 1983, Portrait of a Lady falls in the depths of Andy Warhol’s prolific career as a portraiture artist. Beginning in the early 60s, Warhol’s portrait process was extensive and well known amongst those who would sit for him. Shooting through generally around 10 rolls of black and white polaroid film per session, Warhol always ensured he ended up with the perfect photo that was both pleasing to himself and his subjects. Pose was the most important factor for Warhol, a slight turn of the shoulder or lifting of the head being the difference between effortless glamour and trite construction. His highly desired portraits were so sought after because, as Carter Ratcliff wrote, “anyone can be made to look good or bad, and Warhol could be counted on to opt for the former” (C. Ratcliff quoted in T. Shafrazi, Andy Warhol Portraits, exh. cat. Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, 2005, pp. 18). Following the selection of the elusive perfect photo, the negative would be sent to a laboratory where it could be transformed into a large acetate reproduction to be used for the creation of his iconic silkscreens. Finally, with precision and full creative control, Warhol transferred the visage from screen to canvas, leaving a vivid imprint that would stand steadfast in the canon of art history for decades to come.
A pioneer in many aspects, Warhol was not the first to add wealthy patrons to the everlasting history of art. Highly regarded for his commissioned portraiture, John Singer Sargent was one of many to create grand masterpieces in service of those with the means to request them. One of his most notable, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, depicts a beautiful noblewoman reclining in lavish elegance, yet it is not celebrated for the prestige or notoriety of its subject. Rather this work of Sargent’s has remained in such high regard for its masterful creation of delicate furls of fabric on soft complexion and mesmerizing brushwork. Likewise, for Portrait of a Lady, the work’s unknown sitter serves merely as a vessel for Warhol to convey the refinement of his revolutionary artistic medium.