Cow is a print featuring a close-up image of a cow rendered in vibrant yellow and blue hues. Warhol’s dealer described them as "blazingly bright," highlighting this work as a striking example of Warhol’s ever-evolving subject matter.
While initially unusual, Warhol’s Cow draws from a long tradition of classical imagery, with cows appearing in Renaissance and academic paintings. In this piece, Warhol presents a modern reinterpretation using a psychedelic colour palette that captures the essence of the 1960s and 1970s. Just as he elevated glamorous film icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor to high art with his screenprints, Warhol gives the humble farm animal a similar prominence. By doing so, he infuses the portrait with a playful and whimsical quality, challenging expectations of the artist typically associated with celebrity worship.