Myths: The Shadow II.67

A 1981 screenprint with diamond dust on Lenox museum board by Andy Warhol, 38 × 38 in, from an edition of 200. Hand signed and numbered in pencil — the work is in excellent condition, includes a COA included.

From the Myths Portfolio. Printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, NY. Most of images in Warhol’s Myths series are taken from 1950s television or old Hollywood films. They portray the universal view of America’s once captivating and commanding past. Other pieces included in the series are beloved American characters such as Mickey Mouse, Howdy Doody, Superman and Santa Claus, as well as fictional figures like Dracula, The Wicked Witch of the West, and Uncle Sam. The Shadow was a fictional radio crime fighter from Warhol’s childhood during the 1930s, before his stories were developed into a comic-strip. In each episode, a crime-fighting detective disappeared as soon as his good deed was accomplished, leaving only his shadow. In the piece above, Warhol himself portrays the hero, and as he glances toward the viewer, a strong nearby light casts his profile in a long, dramatic, and darkened shadow. This self-portrait is based on a photograph of Warhol as this character. For other prints in the series Warhol had models dress up as different characters but for this photo, which was a basis for the print, he dispense with The Shadow’s black cloak, broad-rimmed hat and red scarf and simply had himself photographed with a strong, cast shadow of his profile as a result from lighting. Warhol then made a simple, stylized line drawing based on this image. Warhol identified with this character which had no substance. As he said in 1967: “If you want to know about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There’s nothing behind it.”