Tomato-Beef Noodle O's, from Campbell's Soup II

This bright red and white can comes from Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup II" series, a follow-up to his famous 1962 soup can paintings. By 1969, when this screenprint was made, Warhol had already become one of the biggest names in Pop Art, a movement that took everyday objects from grocery stores and advertisements and turned them into art. The flavor here, Tomato-Beef Noodle O's, is one of many that Warhol reproduced, each one looking almost identical to what you would find on a supermarket shelf.

Warhol had a simple idea behind these works. He once said he ate Campbell's soup for lunch nearly every day for twenty years, so why not paint something he knew so well? By using a commercial printing technique and choosing such an ordinary subject, he blurred the line between cheap consumer goods and fine art. Some people loved it, others thought it was a joke, but that tension was exactly the point. The bold curling letters spelling out "Noodle O's" and the little gold medallion in the center give the can a friendly, familiar charm that still feels recognizable today.