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Title: Saint Apollonia FS II.331
Medium: Screenprint on Essex Offset Kid.
Year: 1984
Size: 30″ x 22″
Edition: Edition of 250, portfolio of four.
SAINT APOLLONIA FS II.331
Catholic icon, Saint Apollonia, by the ‘Pope of Pop’, Andy Warhol. Based on a 15th century Renaissance painting by Piero Della Francesca, Saint Apollonia holds a tooth within pincers in reference to her grisly martyrdom in the 3rd century AD. The Patron Saint of dentists and toothaches was an apt choice for Warhol, who was constantly plagued by physical ailments.
SAINT APOLLONIA FS II.331 AS PART OF ANDY WARHOL’S LARGER BODY OF WORK
The screenprint of Saint Apollonia is inspired by a panel painting attributed to the workshop of Piero della Francesca (c.1470). Apollonia is recognized as the patron saint of dentistry as it was believed that her teeth were broken with pincers during her martyrdom in the 3rd Century. The five-century-old painting hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.Warhol’s work, like that of many artists, studies themes surrounding religion and their inherent iconography. In this piece, it is his artistic respect for the icon that is uniquely notable. As opposed to applying color in broad strokes and having layers purposely misalign and bleed over each other, Warhol delicately executes his image. There is very little cropping in this print compared to the original painting he referenced and he even preserves the ‘cracks’ from the original, almost treating it as an homage.
