My first impressions of this painting were that it feels very modern and very contemporary, as opposed to the painting it was modeled after. It resembles an advertisement I would usually expect cereals to have with the price tag on the corner of the plastic covering the box. In other words, it looks like The Last Supper, a very famous religious painting is being marketed and commercialized.
At first glance, the painting is very pleasant to look like featuring a simple black and white background and the colors on top invoke a calm feeling as advertisements are meant to do. I also notice that each of the brand and price labels are a bit faded and seem scratched off almost. Also the placement of the dove silhouette right above Jesus’ head seems to be awkward, likely symbolizing peace and being more related to Jesus’ characteristics as opposed to the company logo. From what I know about Christianity, the Dove could symbolize the Holy Spirit and the Dove appearing above Jesus was what identified him to John the Baptist. From reading the placard, the GE symbol is similar to other religious symbolism, which supports the fact that every detail in this painting was very intentional and thought out.
Warhol’s commentary likely relates to the commercialization of religion in the modern age. Many people think they can use their financial means to gain salvation or redemption and basically buy their way into heaven (like the sale of indulgences back in the ye old days). I think as the world has evolved, religion has become more of a show and less about the spirituality aspect that it is truly meant for. But that statement in itself is controversial. Is institutionalized religion related to spirituality, at all? With all these rules and regulations and “things you have to do” it feels more like a Institutionalized Religion for Dummies guidebook rather than the practice and devotion that I personally believe do not come with institutionalized religion.
Other people’s interpretations talk about the accessibility of religion as something available to anyone in any socioeconomic income bracket but I did not necessarily think of this the first time I laid eyes on the painting. But I can see how they might interpret Warhol’s work in this way. Since the price is very minimal, it can show that religion is for everyone and that one does not have to be monetarily wealthy to be devoted to god.
