Andy Warhol Analysis

Throughout history, artists have been associated with a specific theme or style they introduced into the art world. Andy Warhol featured in this context; he introduced the pop-art culture that utilizes simple day-to-day items, such as cans, painted in perky colors to give information about something. Comic books, cultural objects, and advertisement tools use the pop style because of its efficiency in communicating easily and quickly to the audience. Therefore, integrating pop culture with modern technologies has resulted in more efficient output as far as images, comics, and advertisements are concerned because modern techniques can deliver the most exquisite detail.

Illustration of artwork

A great sample of Andy Warhol is that of four repetitive pictures of his image depicted in two different forms on the same portrait where two of the four describe an old cowboy style, and the other two represent a pop star. At the preliminary, Andy utilizes the critical component of using lines to separate different meanings in the artwork. A clear line formed from the blend of polymer, aluminum paint, and silk-screen ink forms a boundary between the cowboy side and pop. The skillful use of color in the picture results in creating the capability that helps the audience differentiate between the two aspects of the image. Andy uses black and white for the cowboy aspect and bright red and black for the pop (Flatley, 2017). From a simple alteration of colors, Warhol explains the power of the pop style, which can convert a dull character into an illuminating and attractive piece.

Intuitively, Andy incorporates shapes when designing the art piece by embracing all the pictures in one large rectangle and splitting them into two equal squares where each pair of images lies symmetrically. The symmetry gives the audience a view of transition as if a colored mirror reflects the pictures (Flatley, 2017). The artwork is finalized with an outstanding level of harmony, where each element in the image occurs in concurrence and works together to define the whole picture without any of them being redundant. From the expression, one can interpret the thoughts of Andy when he was drawing the piece and what he wanted to put across.

The first idea was to illustrate the power of pop style in the art world in that it would convert old photos into excellent and intriguing images. Also, Andy intended to show that pop style was the future of art because it revolutionized all aspects of artwork including contrast, color, harmony, and typography (Flatley, 2017). From the faded aspects of the black and white images, the personality of the drawn image cannot be interpreted clearly, where, despite having a gun at hand, it is hard to tell the seriousness of his face. However, with pop style, every aspect of the picture becomes clear, including the face, and the audience can predict the intention or mood of the displayed character to the extent of deciding whether the drawn gun is about to be used.

How Andy Warhol’s Art Fit into the Art World of that Time

The art pieces of Andy Warhol were hailed for ages since the 1968 period of sketching a replica of a Campbell’s Soup (Tomato) can and coloring it with bright red colors (Bockris, 2018). From such achievements, Andy did other notable pieces of art including drawings of top American leaders such as John F. Kennedy. All the results of Andy indicate that something made his art fit into the period of his time, which attracted a lot of admirers. Andy utilized the use of pop style which included the use of bright colors on any piece of art he created. He realized that bright colors attract more audience and communicate the message effectively without the need for unnecessary explanations. Considering that during Andy’s period, colored photographs were a phenomenon. Therefore, any ability to access a colored print, even if it was through art, was highly treasured, which gave Warhol’s art a perfect reputation (Bockris, 2018). Moreover, art creates a lasting bond with the beholder because art is a creation that begins from nothing, as compared to captions, and is created slowly to create a perfect blend of the expected outcome.

Biographical Information

Andy Warhol was born on 6th August 1928 in a town called Pittsburgh in the city of Pennsylvania artist (Koestenbaum, 2015). Andy had not only exceptional filmmaking and painting skills, but also he had a passion for it. Warhol was born and raised in a humble background since his parent, Ondrej Warhola, and Julia Warhola, were both casual workers in construction and sewing companies, respectively. Warhol’s parents were devoted Catholics, and they attended mass ceremonies every day Sunday. At the mere age of eight, Warhol was diagnosed with Chorea, which negatively affected the proper functioning of his nervous system. Warhol could not move or engage in other activities, and it was during this time that Warhol's mother taught him how to draw since she was a skillful artist. Thus, drawing became one of the favorite hobbies for Warhol.

At the age of nine, Warhol's mother bought him a camera, and it led to Warhol developing a passion for photography. Due to the desire Warhol had developed for arts, he enrolled in free art classes at the Carnegie Institute while attending Holmes Elementary School at the same time. After the death of Warhol’s father in 1942, Warhol was adversely affected and could not attend his father's funeral artist (Koestenbaum, 2015). Fortunately, Warhol’s father had dedicated his life savings towards Warhol's education since he had already recognized Warhol's passion for the arts. In 1945, Warhol graduated from high school, and in 1949, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. Since New York was rapidly growing and had many job opportunities, Warhol relocated there to pursue his professional career as an artist (Koestenbaum, 2015). In the 1950s, Warhol was among the top commercial artists and won various awards due to his unique and creative style of using rubber stamps and blotted line techniques for His artistic work.

Essential Details about Warhol's Life

According to Sipperley (2018), in 1961, Warhol’s breakthrough as a commercial artist came after the introduction of the new notion of “pop culture”, which mainly encompassed simple art with bold images of various items used daily painted in bright color, thus outdoing the traditional perception of fine art. In 1962, Warhol portrayed pop paintings of Campbell's soup cans, which drew a lot of attention from the public regarding “pop art.” Warhol also depicted various pop paintings for various items as well as people. In 1964, Warhol started His own business by opening an art studio famously known as “The Factory” and became a famous cultural center mostly for the rich. Warhol went ahead and published his first book in 1967, titled "Andy Warhol's Index". However, Warhol narrowly escaped death when Valerie Solanas shot him in 1986 at Warhol's studio (Sipperley, 2018). Warhol was rushed to the hospital and recovered after undergoing various surgeries. Valerie was apprehended after pleading guilty to the charges pressed against her. Later in the 1970s, Warhol explored other adventures, notably media encompassing films, television, sculpture, and photography. Warhol also became successful in the film industry as he was able to produce various films. In the 1980s, Warhol presented "Andy Warhol's TV and Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes on MTV." television programs. Importantly, Warhol used his artistic skill to convey a message to the intended audience as well as express his thoughts. Warhol died on 22nd February 1987 due to heart failure, which was caused by the surgeries he had undergone.

Conclusion

Andy Warhol was able to create his icon through revolutionizing art by believing in the power of changing styles in a piece of art. From his careful manipulation of familiar tastes, comics and ornamentals created would attract the public in the lieu to understand the meaning behind each of them. However, from some of his stories and comics, analytics thought that Andy represented some of his sorrowful expressions in the stories because even in public events, he was mostly seen as a sad man. Others felt that Warhol was creative and was creating screenplays that placed the audience in perplexing situations to help them understand and register panic. The uniqueness of his art at that time makes his piece of work one of the most expensive pieces auctioned up to date, implying that their perfection bears some relevance up to date.

“Andy Warhol, Elvis I & II, 196, two panels. Synthetic polymer paint and silk-screen ink on canvas, aluminum paint and silk-screen ink on canvas. 6ft. 10in. * 10 in. The Andy Warhol Foundation, Inc. /Artists Rights Society, New York.”

References

Bockris, V. (2018). The Life And Death Of Andy.

Flatley, J. (2017). Like Andy Warhol. University of Chicago Press.

Koestenbaum, W. (2015). Andy Warhol: A Biography. Open Road Media.

Sipperley, K. (2018). A Look at Pop Art. Carson-Dellosa Publishing.