Abstract This is a study of AndyWarhol's portraits and the issues that they raise about celebrity and identity. In his portraits of celebrities, their vacant stares and stock poses communicate to the viewer the intractability of representing the 'real self'. In his self-portraits, the distortion of color and form, combined with the generic head-on-black-background format makes the subject of the portrait relatively unimportant, subsumed by art.
Abstract This paper explains that, loosely defined, Pop Art describes works, which borrow imagery from the mass culture--high art mimicking low art; everyday items such as commercial product packaging, newspaper articles, advertisements and comic books are the foundation of the Pop Artist's works. The author believes that the greatest Pop artist, whose innovations have affected so much subsequent art, is the American artist, AndyWarhol, whose works--"Campbell's Soup Can" series, "Green Coca-Cola Bottles, 1962" and "192 Dollar Bills, 1962"--are detailed in this paper. The paper relates that AndyWarhol, son of disadvantaged Polish immigrants, became an icon not only of Post-Modern art in the Pop movement, but also the epitome of enviable glamour as one of the leading mass-media personalities of his time.
From the Paper "Warhol's method of reproducing identical images, echoing the assembly-line production of the objects depicted, gradually became more technically efficient and a standard feature of his work. He introduced this method of screen-printing in 1962 and encouraged the impression that works were churned out from the Factory, as his studio on East 47th Street in New York was known, by his entourage of assistants. "With screen-printing Warhol had finally found a way of eliminating altogether the distinguishing personality of brushwork, at the same time satisfying his professed desire to make himself into a machine, registering images as a mere film of colour on the canvas surface.""
Abstract This paper presents an overview of the artwork of AndyWarhol. The paper begins by defining Warhol's work as original and creative. The writer then offers some background on the artist, including details of his family, education, and upbringing. The paper explains how Warhol instituted the art form known today as pop art.
From the Paper "Warhol received his education at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh from 1945 to 1949. Subsequently, he moved to New York where he began working as a commercial artist for newspapers and magazines. Even his early worked showed sign of originality and are described by Mark Livingstone as "charming and often whimsical in tone, typified by outline drawings using a delicate blotted line that gave even the originals a printed appearance" (Livingstone). It was his shoe advertisements for Miller and Sons that were noticed and admired, which help him earn major awards from the Art Directors Club. (Livingstone) Warhol continued his commercial work but was determined to establish his name as a painter."
Abstract This paper analyzes the various elements of Marxist ideology that arise within AndyWarhol's art works "100 Cans" (1962), "Marilyn Monroe" (1967) and "A Set of Six Self Portraits" (1967). It discusses the idea of commodity and cultural identity within these works and aims to reveal Warhol's medium and ideology in industrial American society. The paper shows how Warhol merges images of capitalism and mass production into his portraits.
From the Paper "This was the biographical background for Warhol's interest in images of famous people, since he was obsessed with the way that people could become famous in the mass communications milieu of American culture. The use of photography could now capture a person's image and be broadcast to millions of people nationwide through the television. For icons like Marilyn Monroe, her image could now be processed and manipulated through media exploitation now that it could easily be replicated. In this way, the nightmare of Marx's human devaluation and exploitation of identity within a mass production industrial culture became realized; it was a beautiful dream-come-true for Andy Warhol and his choice of replicating popular icons in American society."
Abstract An examination of the art of AndyWarhol and the reasons his work is so well-known. The paper explores his methods of production - mostly silk screen printing - and his 'series' - producing several images of a certain subject. The paper discusses how Warhol, in his various struggles to create art, was attempting to redefine and popularize American art by making it commercial and also by making the focus upon commercialism in his art a comment upon society.
From the Paper "Warhol's art blurs the relationship between what comes first, the reality or the image. More and more people construct their lives around what they see on television. Warhol, in his own work, From a to b and Back Again, that: ?A whole day of life is like a whole day of TV.? (Warhol 5) Both, he says, are never ending and never shut off. The never-ending nature of life, Warhol also made use of in his epic, virtually unwatchable films. The intention by making such long films as Warhol did was to suggest that rather than art trying to change and reinterpret life, art should reflect life and be as much like life as possible. As life is no longer interior and private and personal, art should also be exterior public and impersonal."
Tags: contemporary, commercialism, Reality, Television, Pop, art
Abstract This paper discusses the painting, "Mao", acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, that AndyWarhol painted in 1973 at the height of Mao's power in China. The author states that this painting is more realistic than many other Warhol paintings, but it is clearly his "style". The author believes that this painting is very interesting because of the two different mediums used and all the hidden meanings that seem to be buried in the colors and shapes.
From the Paper "The painting is over 15 feet high, and so Mao looks down at the viewers as if he is looking over a group of children. Mao's face is not what you would expect, except from someone like Warhol. The face is done in bright oranges and yellows, to show his Asian ancestry, but even more, to make him look vibrant and alive. Warhol has also given him bright red cheeks and lips, so much so that he looks like a woman wearing a lot of make-up, especially blush and bright lipstick. There is blue eye shadow over his eyes to enhance the look of make-up, too."
Abstract This paper describes the AndyWarhol's images of Marilyn Monroe, displayed in his 1962 art exhibit. The paper explains the techniques and processes Warhol used and the message about society he tried to impart. The paper points out that the Marilyn images are a comment on the commercial aspect of art as well as the willingness of the public to buy into escapism.
From the Paper "There is controversy about exactly which image Warhol used to create the final work. The one that is widely accepted to be the source work, may be from the same photo session, but Warhol may have used a different shot. This is unknown. The image Warhol silkscreened is another pose, a new facial expression and different lighting. The process, however, is the determing mechanism of the final form of the work. His working method is well known. He chose a photograph, cropped it as necessary, then ordered a silkscreen in a specified size. Variations occurred when screening the reproduciton onto the canvas.
The artistry lies in the control of the density of the paint. In this way he was able to vary the black images between faint and darkly saturated. At this time, he elaborated the presentation of the photographic material, transforming it according to what he wanted the finished work to say. This method created an initial shock in the finished work and is the essence of its lasting significance."
Abstract This paper describes and examines AndyWarhol's "Electric Chair", a stark and interesting image of an electric chair. The paper speculates why Warhol uses such an image, what the meaning behind it is, and what emotions it relates to. The paper suggests that the artwork is possibly a sign of protest against the death penalty, and that it reflects the human fear of lonliness, the unknown, darkness and death. The paper ends on the note that the artwork evokes the disturbing issue that no one truly knows what happens after death.
From the Paper "The image brings about several emotions. The emptiness and lack of human presence makes one feel completely isolated and alone. The dark colors and shadows bring a sense of fear. It makes you feel that death is near. Death is coming and it is unavoidable. Depending on how one interprets the art piece one might feel anger or a sense of justice. If one were to disagree with the death penalty then this image would bring a sense of anger. The electric chair would be seen as a tool for inhumane treatment and bring anger towards the government that allows its use."
Abstract The paper explains that AndyWarhol helped make viewers aware of the way that modern imaging affects emotive response. The paper shows how Warhol multiplied the poses of Jackie Kennedy in order to illustrate how the images were repetitive and thus desensitized by the mass media.
From the Paper "The 16 Jackies by Andy Warhol was created after the assassination of John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The 16 images presented in the series are merely reflecting four different poses of Jackie Kennedy before and after the death of her husband, the president. The four images (from top to bottom) reflect Jackie coming into Love Field in Dallas, Texas, after the flight; the next image is Jackie at the swearing in ceremony of Lyndon B. Johnson after JFK's death; Jackie grieving at the capitol; and finally, Jackie smiling in the car right before JFK was assassinated. With each image there are three duplicates that simply follow a repetitious sequence, much like one would see in a film roll. In this manner, the images are stacked upon one another, yet they all reflect a similar pose that depict Jackie at various stages of experience before and after her husband's death."
Abstract The paper examines how the author, designer, painter, photographer, filmmaker, and publisher known as AndyWarhol was one of the twentieth century's greatest artist. It looks at how he became a pop culture genius and how, through his work, became a part of it as a social commentator and visionary.
From the Paper "Magazines and film were two other mediums used by Warhol. After graduating from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Warhol first worked as an illustrator for magazines like Vogue and Harpar's Bazaar and for commercial advertising. His magazine, however, would live on even after Warhol's death. In 1969, Warhol co-produced a magazine named "Interview" with John Wilcock, editor of an underground newspaper called "Other Scenes". The magazine featured text and loosely edited interviews from cassette tapes. Andy often said that he started the magazine to get free tickets to all the premieres. The magazine quickly turned into a monthly review of popular culture. Celebrities, fashion, art, music, movies, television, gossip, and celebrity nightlife (especially the notorious Studio 54) were all featured in the magazine."
Abstract This essay examines and discusses the ways in which AndyWarhol's work had been found scandalous at the time it was produced and exhibited. The paper discusses his paintings of the Campbell's soup cans and also his work as a filmmaker, a photographer, magazine publisher, and trendsetter. It discusses the scandals that surrounded him regarding his work as well as his personal life.
Abstract This paper discusses the works of artists AndyWarhol and Jeff Koons. The paper contends that art critics continue to debate Warhol's legacy, life, works, and the value of the artists whom he spawned, such as Jeff Koons. The paper claims that, viewed in their totality, both artists' lives and creations give profound evidence of the ability to subvert the totalizing media gaze of advertising and sentimentality with self-conscious reproduction of images, media, and subjects.
From the Paper "Andy Warhol has grown so ubiquitous as a presence in modern art that it is easy to forget that once a can of tomato soup was merely a can of tomato soup in the eyes of a world that consumed such advertising with a spirit absent of irony. However, before Andy Warhol came to his fullest flourishing as an artist in the Pop Art milieu, if one saw a can of tomato soup on a commercial aisle, one would likely, simply see a product label, not recall Warhol's famous, repetitive image of the soup in one's mind. By elevating a depicted can to the level of art, by presenting a brand label, perfectly repeated as art, a consumer savvy to Warhol was able to witness a message beyond that of product identification, or to buy a particular kind of Campbell's soup-repetition becomes commentary on the very media of advertising itself, that was attempting to induce a consumer to become more attracted to one brand of soup than another brand of similarly tasting soup, regardless of quality or flavor."
Abstract The writer of this article examines how artist, AndyWarhol, uses art to form an example of Jean Baudrillard's theory of hyper reality. The writer discusses how Warhol's painting of the Campbell Soup cans supports Baudrillard's theory and provides a place where the "real" is more real than the original.
From the Paper "This paper considers Andy Warhol's paintings of Campbell Soup cans, in the light of French intellectual Jean Baudrillard's concept of hyper reality. Baudrillard who does not consider himself an expert in art criticism nevertheless argues for Warhol as one of the most important postmodern figures, an artist whose work captured an essential essence of contemporary cultural reality, by using a copy of one of the most banal and ordinary products manufactured by that culture and holding it up for consideration as a work of art. "
Abstract This paper explains that Frank Stella, born in 1936, influenced by the flag paintings of Jasper Johns, emerged in the 1960s as a leading example of Post-Painterly Abstraction, a reaction against Abstract Expressionism. The author relates that AndyWarhol's Pop Art applied a commercial art style to painting, as he appropriated subject matter from the pulp media. Warhol creating a style out of his own non-involvement with the material and his attempt to produce works that were machine-like, thus separated from the artist. The paper recounts that Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) is known for his series of paintings as a comic strip working with stencils to make rows of over-sized dots, forming his paintings of prints and making them look like a huge mass publication product.
Table of Contents
Frank Stella
AndyWarhol Roy Lichtenstein
From the Paper "Lichtenstein similarly imitated objects of popular culture, as in his comic-strip paintings taken from comic books and the like, or from his series of advertisements recreated on canvas, such as "Girl with Ball" (1961). Warhol's "Marilyn" images were mechanically reproduced and celebrated the machine element both in the way they were created and in the way they imitated a strip of motion-picture film, which is a mechanical means for reproducing movement. Lichtenstein in "Girl with Ball" and similar images recreated the mechanical look such newspaper print ads have in their original state, as if created by an off-set process that leaves the image flat, with texture showing through from the paper, or the canvas, and with a limited palette in keeping with the tri-color off-set process."
Tags: reproduction, newspaper, post-painterly, comics, marilyn
Abstract The paper shows how Marcel Duchamp paved the way for the acceptance of AndyWarhol's work by redefining what was considered art. The paper describes how Duchamp took several everyday objects and combined them in an unexpected way, while AndyWarhol's work transformed ordinary objects into art. The paper points out the similarities and differences between the two artists' style of art.
Outline:
From Readymades to Soup Cans
Defining the Pop Art Movement
From the Paper "Andy Warhol's work transforms ordinary objects into art that summarizes the industrialization that permeated his society. Perhaps the most poignant proclamation by Warhol was his painting of 50 soup cans. This symbolized the uniformity and confines of modern society. Each of the cans was an individual in its own right, but in mass, the individuality disappeared. Duchamp paved the way for the acceptance of Warhol's work by redefining what was considered art .
"Duchamp's 'Readymades' radically changed ideas about what art is and what art is not. Duchamp used ordinary, mass produced objects placed in gallery spaces. One of the most controversial examples of this type of redefinition of a common object was his rendition of a urinal, which he creatively redubbed "The Fountain." . Transforming ordinary objects into an art form exemplifies a key similarity between Warhol and Duchamp."
