Traditional Art History often overlooks the crucial role of printmaking in the dissemination and distribution of works of art thanks to printmaking's enormous ease of reproduction. For that reason we risk losing sight of certain meanings that can be found in contemporary works of art. Andy Warhol's Brillo Boxes (1964) were considered since their first appearance as a herald of the "anything goes" (Arthur Danto) and a criticism of consumer society, but the work very likely represents an echo of the ancient tradition of image reproduction for knowledge promotion.
printmaking; Andy Warhol; Arthur Danto; Brillo Boxes