Andy Warhol - Mao Green (1972)

Andy Warhol - Mao Green (1972)Andy Warhol was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. He is known for his bright, colourful paintings and prints of subjects ranging from celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Mohammed Ali, to everyday products such as cans of soup and Brillo pads. One of Warhols most recognisable portraits is that of the Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong (18931976). Warhol was

Andy Warhol was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. 

 He is known for his bright, colourful paintings and prints of subjects ranging from celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Mohammed Ali, to everyday products such as cans of soup and Brillo pads. 

One of Warhol’s most recognisable portraits is that of the Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong (1893–1976). Warhol was compelled to portray Mao as he became increasingly aware of the power and ubiquity of a man who was to become one of the most recognisable figures in modern history.

So between 1972 and 1973 Warhol created 199 Mao paintings in five set scales across five individual series, in addition to a series of 10 screen prints. The prints employ a broad spectrum of vivid colours that are synonymous with the printmaking technique and aesthetic of Warhol’s most renowned work.

 In some instances, Mao appears to be wearing makeup, his mole darkly coloured as a beauty mark that echoes Warhol’s famous images of Marilyn Monroe. Mao becomes morphed into a glamorised 1970s pop icon, a clash of imagery that creates an interplay between controlled communist propaganda and Western fashion kitsch.