Camouflage
Warhol is reported to have asked studio assistants "what can I do that would be abstract but not really abstract?" The camouflage pattern allowed Warhol to work with both an abstract pattern and an immediately recognizable image, rich in associations. Dating from the early 20th century, camouflage was created by artists for military use, first for concealment of equipment and later for uniforms. Warhol began with actual camouflage fabric when creating his paintings, often using lush or hot colors, very different from the standard military ones. Warhol used camouflage as the background for self-portraits and portraits of German artist Joseph Beuys and more, bringing his Camouflage paintings back to fabric. Warhol also collaborated with the fashion designer Stephen Sprouse to create a line of camouflage clothing.
Point of View by Bob Colacello, writer and former Warhol associate
"To call these paintings decorative would be short-sighted, for in manipulating the size, shape and colors of the traditional military fabric–a fabric designed not to be seen–he demonstrates an almost effortless ability to summon up an entire range of art historical references, from Chinese landscapes to Monet’s Water Lilies . . . Of course pretending he didn’t know anything about art history was one of the many ways in which Warhol camouflaged himself. He told countless interviewers that Walt Disney was his favorite artist, while quietly amassing a collection that including paintings by Corot, Fragonard, Picasso, Fontana and Yves Klein, among others."
Point of View by Paula Cooper, mother, community organizer
"Camouflage is a lovely escape. The size of the piece and the bright blues and greens have a sense of looseness and fluidity that make me think of freedom and the ocean. I also see little figures within the piece that remind me of dolphins and remote islands. Not for a moment do I think of the fabric’s
warlike connotations–soldiers with black faces hidden in the undergrowth. Maybe camouflage does give one a sense of abandon and playfulness."
Point of View by Rev. Thomas E. Smith, Monumental Mission Ministries
"Having been in the military, this piece reminds me of the impact on our society by the military industrial complex. Much of its influence is camouflaged. It is woven into our national infrastructure as technological improvements, communications and security; while some military influence is readily apparent in the fashions young people wear. This piece reminds me that it is not so much 'what you do see'as it is 'what you don’t see.' 'Can you see me?'”
Andy Warhol, photo Greg Gorman, 1983
