Title: Space Fruit: Cantaloupes I 201
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Year: 1979
Size: 30” x 40”
Details: Edition of 150, signed and numbered in felt pen. Portfolio of 6.
Andy Warhol created Cantaloupes I in 1979 for his portfolio Space Fruit: Still Lifes. Warhol was known to have worked with numerous assistants and printers to create his iconic works of art. After meeting printer Rupert Jasen Smith in 1977, Warhol and Smith worked together to create the Space Fruit portfolio. In this portfolio, Warhol experimented with the classic tradition of still life, but added a pop art twist. Cantaloupes I 201 is an example of how Andy Warhol utilized the traditional elements of still life – where the focus falls on the composition of shape, color and space – and incorporated elements of his niche by adding bright contrasting colors with his color blocking technique. With the use of endless color combinations Warhol reimagines the depiction of traditional still life works that have been used by artists for centuries. The many colors on the work are a compilation of silkscreened layers of print. In Cantaloupes I, Andy Warhol chose a vibrant blue background with orange and teal color blocks to create the shape of the fruit, with dark grey lines emphasizing the details.
