A seminal figure in the Pop Art movement of the early 1960s, Warhol, like his contemporaries Roy Lichtenstein and James Rosenquist, appropriated images from American popular culture for his large-scale paintings and prints. Seeking an alternative to the highly charged canvases of the Abstract Expressionists, Warhol rendered his serial images of cultural icons and common consumer items using the commercial technique of silkscreen. This slick image of a Campbell's soup can, taken from the second of two Soup Can portfolios produced by Warhol in the late 1960s, exemplifies his increasing interest in hands-off, mass-produced works of art. Its clean, mechanical surface and perfect registration contrast with his earlier paintings, which resonate with irregularities and imperfections.

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