Paul Stephenson | After Warhol : Uniques

Paul Stephenson | After Warhol : Uniques

“THE END RESULT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IN A WARHOL PAINTING HANGING IN A TATE MODERN RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION.” Paul Stephenson

PAUL STEPHENSON

AFTER WARHOL: UNIQUES THERE ARE FEW IMAGES MORE ICONIC THAN ANDY WARHOL’S 1964 POP ART INTERPRETATION OF JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS. NOW, ALMOST 60 YEARS AFTER ITS INITIAL RELEASE, THE LEGENDARY GRAPHIC OF THE FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN REINVENTED BY THE LONDON-BASED ARTIST PAUL STEPHENSON FOR A CONTEMPORARY COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL ART. Created using Warhol’s original acetate, Af ter Warhol: Uniques comprises 40 large-scale silkscreen colourways of ‘Jackie’, which was created in response to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on 22nd November 1963. Captivated by Jackie’s timeless glamour in the thousands of photographs subsequently printed in newspapers and magazines, Warhol worked with his assistant Gerard Malanga on his ar tistic representation of this historical moment. Between May and November 1964, Warhol created over 300 paintings of Jackie, including this par ticular image, which is based on a por trait created by the of f icial photographer for the Kennedy presidential campaign, Jacques Lowe. Changing the angle of Jackie’s face and cropping her hair, Warhol sought to capture her elegance and power through a modern mechanical process. This process has been followed meticulously by Paul, whose work has been featured by the likes of Vice, The Times and the BBC. From working with Warhol’s original printer on previous collections to sourcing the exact materials used by the Pop Ar t founder, Paul’s faithful rendering led his ar t to be titled ‘posthumous Warhols’ by the late Warholian exper t Rainer Crone. “At all stages of making these paintings, it’s always been about following the process and being accurate and true to what Warhol did,” says Paul, who hand-painted the background of each piece. “The end result is exactly what you would see in a Warhol painting hanging in a Tate Modern retrospective exhibition.” The acetate, a clear sheet manipulated with scissors and chemicals before being used to imprint the image onto a silkscreen, was the last par t of the process to be touched by hand by Warhol. With only one existing in the world, Paul now holds the key to the authentic reproduction of this ar twork by the ar tist, who famously remarked: “I think someone should be able to do all my paintings for me.” For more information, contact your local gallery or speak to an online art consultant.

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - ACRA MEDIUM

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - ALIZARIN AZIN

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - BROWN RED OXIDE

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - CADMIUM ORANGE EXTRA LIGHT

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - COBALT BLUE

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - DIOXAZINE PURPLE

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - FLOURO ORANGE

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - HOOKER’S GREEN DEEP

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - LASSO GREEN DEEP ULTRAMARINE

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - NAPHTHOL RED LIGHT

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - NAPHTHOL RED

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - NEUTRAL GREY

Paul took us into the studio for our exclusive video, which reveals his groundbreaking technique. Faithfully following Warhol’s method, Paul enlarged the acetate before transferring the image onto the canvas and hand-painting each of the colourways in a unique combination of Warholian and Pop Ar t shades, including naphthol red and phthalo blue. Following this, he added the half tone colour (a series of dots formed with varying size and spacing). He explains: “This is what makes her look like Jackie, rather than a group of colours. It’s like when a photograph gets developed in the darkroom.” Want to f ind out more? Watch our video! BEHIND THE SCENES OF AFTER WARHOL

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - PERMANENT GREEN CADMIUM YELLOW

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - PERMANENT GREEN LIGHT

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - PERMANENT GREEN DEEP ULTRAMARINE

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - PRUSSIAN BLUE GREY

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - PRUSSIAN DELFT BLUE

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - WARM GREY

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - YELLOW DEEP AZO

Silkscreen With A Hand Painted Background Image Size 40” x 40” | Framed £6,950 | Unique Edition of 1 JACKIE - YELLOW AZO EXTRA LIGHT

ALL ABOUT SILKSCREEN PRINTING

What is silkscreen printing? Also known as silk-screening or serigraphy, silkscreen printing involves using a tightly-stretched mesh or screen (hence the name!). The f irst step is to mount the silkscreens over your chosen canvas, with a separate screen for each colour. Once the screens or stencils are in place, ar tists roll, press, sponge or squeegee their ink or paint over the silkscreens to leave a negative design. Where does the technique come from? Silkscreens are believed to have originated in China as far back as 1000 years ago. The technique was introduced to Western Europe by Asia in the late 18th century, but was not widely used until silk mesh became easier to get hold of. In the 20th century, pop ar tist Andy Warhol brought silkscreens to the forefront of contemporary ar t through his legendary Marilyn Monroe prints. Throughout this time, screenprinting techniques had been considered trade secrets and were kept conf idential. Many regarded the ar t form with scepticism, as the reliance on a machine questioned the typical view of ar t creation as direct contact between the ar tist and medium. What makes it so special? It’s a painstaking process that can take days and even weeks. As it’s done by hand by a skilled craf tsman, each piece is unique. The ink in silkscreen printing is also of ten thicker, resulting in more vibrant colours.

“WARHOL HIMSELF FAMOUSLY SAID “I THINK SOMEONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO ALL MY PAINTINGS FOR ME”, WHICH IS WHY IT’S SO EXCITING THAT WE’RE ABLE TO DO THAT 60 YEARS LATER WITH LOVE, CARE AND ACCURACY.” Paul Stephenson

The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. © Washington Green 2021. The content of this brochure is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission. washingtongreen.co.uk