Pencils Ready!

"I don’t know where the artificial stops and the real starts."

Andy Warhol (artist)

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It’s the 1960s and paint-by-numbers sets are all the rage. By following the numbers on a pre-sketched canvas, you can create a visual masterpiece. The best part? No formal training required.

Among the kits’ fans is a very famous face: Andy Warhol. Why’s this "real" artist doing an activity designed for amateurs?

Andy Warhol, "Do It Yourself (Landscape)", 1962, acrylic, pencil and letraset on linen, 69.75 x 54.13 in, Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany. © ADAGP / Paris 2017.

One day, Warhol picks up a brush and decides to try his hand at some paint by numbers scenes. He gets a kick out of ignoring the rules, placing color where he wants instead of following the suggested guide. He likes to leave plenty of white space, too.

In the end, he’s got a small collection of pieces that don’t really look the way they’re supposed to, but which certainly make a point. Warhol wants to demonstrate that anyone is capable of making art. Hence the title of the series: Do It Yourself.

Andy Warhol, "Do It Yourself (Flowers)", 1962, acrylic, pencil and letraset on linen, Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany. © ADAGP / Paris 2017.

A Pop artist, Warhol makes a career out of borrowing images from popular culture and incorporating them into his pieces. He likes to question what counts as creativity.

Take his silkscreen paintings, for example. Using everyday images‐Campbell’s soup cans, a photograph of Marilyn Monroe‐he works with a team of assistants to create easily reproducible pieces. The artist claims he wants to be a machine, and that "everyone should be a machine".

Jack Mitchell’s photograph of Andy Warhol (taken between 1966 and 1977).

By picking his own colors, Warhol rejects the pre-set constraints and uses his own judgment. Who knew a child’s game could encourage such rebellion?