Plains Indian Shield 382

by Andy Warhol is one of ten screenprints in his

Cowboys and Indians Complete Portfolio

. An additional four trial proofs were excluded from the final suite:

War Bonnet Indian 373, Buffalo Nickel 374, Action Picture 375,

and

Sitting Bull 376 or A70.

In the Cowboys and Indians portfolio, Warhol illustrates the clash between settlers and Native Americans with five prints representing the “Cowboys” and five representing the “Indians.” The symmetry of the portfolio presents the West as a setting of conflict and positions each print as an opponent. Warhol presents, in short, a theatrical version of the West; he has little interest in creating a historically accurate representation of the frontier days. Instead, Warhol attempts to mirror our imaginations of the West found in popular culture and media.