This self-portrait was completed ten years after Warhol was shot and critically injured by Valerie Solanas in 1968. Following this attempt on his life, Warhol became even more obsessed with the themes of death and religion than he had been previously. In 1978 he completed several series’ of self-portraits with skulls to which this screenprint bears a resemblance. Warhol has painted aggressive red brushstrokes on the grey background before printing the photographic image in black.