Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition) FS II.165 is the first screenprint in Andy Warhol’s seven-part * Special Edition portfolio, created to reveal the step-by-step screenprinting progression of his 1977 print *Hammer and Sickle*, FS II.164. This initial work introduces the first printed color—a warm hazel brown—applied as a single rectangular shape. Deceptively simple, the composition marks the foundational layer upon which the complex visual language of the final print is built.

The inspiration for the series stemmed from Warhol’s 1976 trip to Italy, where he was struck by the proliferation of hammer and sickle graffiti—symbols of communism seen scrawled across public walls. Rather than approaching the image through a political lens, Warhol viewed the symbol as a cultural motif, fascinated by its repetition and prominence. He sought to extract it from its ideological roots and explore its potential place within pop culture and visual art.

Unable to find suitable visual references, Warhol asked his assistant, Ronnie Cutrone, to photograph a real hammer and sickle. Cutrone sourced the tools himself, arranging and capturing them in various compositions. These photographs became the blueprint for Warhol’s exploration of the symbol across the entire *Hammer and Sickle* series.

In Hammer & Sickle.165, the hazel brown rectangle appears abstract, almost minimalist, offering no immediate clues to the subject matter it will eventually help form. But as the first stage in the printing process, it represents the structural and conceptual groundwork for the complete image. Warhol uses this moment to foreground the mechanics of creation—pulling back the curtain on how a screenprint is constructed and emphasizing process as part of the final aesthetic.

Printed on Strathmore Bristol paper in 1977, the work is hand-signed by Warhol in pencil at the lower center and numbered from a rare edition of only 10. As the beginning of this carefully deconstructed portfolio, FS II.165 invites viewers to consider not only how images are made, but how meaning evolves through the act of layering—both visually and ideologically.

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