Teach with Collections: Andy Warhol, Nude Model

"A picture means I know where I was every minute," said Warhol. "That's why I take pictures. It's a visual diary." In order to chronicle his every encounter, Warhol carried a Polaroid camera with him from the late 1950s until his death in 1987. As a result, he amassed an enormous collection of photographs‚—both spontaneous and posed‚—depicting friends, acquaintances, lovers, art collectors, celebrities, nobodies, and himself. Warhol's obsession with documenting every moment of his life anticipates contemporary society's fascination with social media. In this Polaroid from a series of cropped views of a man's naked body, Warhol captured a model in a pose that both highlights and conceals aspects of his anatomy.

Conversation prompts What is the significance of the Polaroid medium and the scale of this work?

Describe the pose of the figure and how the artist has played with gender in this work.