While reading Just Kids, I was particularly enthralled by Patti and Robert’s friendship. I think, more than anything else, I admire it. Even though they weren’t lovers in the traditional sense, I think that most people spend their lives trying to find a connection with another person like the one Patti and Robert share. The best part of the book, to me, was how raw their friendship was and simply how the two relied on each other so much that they seemed to be two halves of one whole. Without each other, they would not have blossomed into the artists or the people that they had ended up to be. I think that the mutual dependence that they had on each other, paired with their fierce loyalty to each other against all odds, is a pretty beautiful thing.

Andy Warhol is one of the most important artists of pop art. He became extremely popular during the second half of the 20^th century. He is best remembered for his paintings of Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe, though he created a myriad of other works including commercial advertisements and films. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. He was greatly inspired by the bohemian and counterculture lifestyle of his friends and himself. However, Warhol is a controversial artist because many critics criticize him for being merely a “business artist.”

The photo that Robert took of Andy Warhol.

As a kid, he was somewhat of an outcast because he was quiet, could always be found with a sketchbook in his hands, and had shockingly pale skin and white-blonde hair. Warhol also loved to go to movies and started a collection of celebrity memorabilia, especially autographed photos. A number of these pictures appeared in Warhol’s later artwork.

He discovered the blotted-line technique during his college years when he would tape together two pieces of paper, mark one paper with ink, and then fold the two papers in order to replicate the design on the other paper as well. The result was a design with irregular, smudged lines that he would further fill in with watercolor. After college, Warhol moved to New York and became well known for his blotted-line technique during the 1950s. His technique was used for many shoe commercials, book covers, album covers and even Christmas cards.

Around 1960, Warhol had decided to make a name for himself in pop art. Pop art was a new style of art that began in England in the mid-1950s and consisted of realistic renditions of popular, everyday items. Warhol turned away from the blotted-line technique and chose to use paint and canvas but at first he had some trouble deciding what to paint. He paid his friend $50 for the idea to paint a can of soup. This became one of his most famous and expensive works of art.

Unfortunately, Warhol found that he couldn’t make his paintings fast enough on canvas. Luckily in July 1962, he discovered the process of silk screening. This technique uses a specially prepared section of silk as a stencil, allowing one silk-screen to create similar patterns multiple times. He immediately began making paintings of celebrities, most notably a large collection of paintings of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol would use this style for the rest of his life.

During the 1960’s he continued to paint and create pop art, but began to create films as well. In 1968 he was pronounced clinically dead after being shot, but the doctor saved Warhol’s life by cutting his chest open and massaging his heart. He then founded the Interview Magazine that still flourishes to this day. Warhol died 20 years later; he was 58 years old.

In the book Just Kids Patti and Robert admire Warhol. He is sort of an artistic celebrity for them, but a celebrity that they often see in bars and at shows that each of them visits. When Robert became famous for his photographs he made several photos of Andy Warhol.

-Angelika

In response to Professor Drabik’s request, here is some free-form jazz from John Coltrane’s 1960 album, Giant Steps. This is “Giant Steps,” the first track on the album.

Reading about the Hotel Chelsea in “Just Kids” is just so overwhelming.  On almost every page there is a new major person referenced and being someone born to parents that were once part of 60s culture almost all of the musicians sound very familiar.  Although I cannot put names to songs I know I enjoyed a lot of the songs of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Janis Joplin in particular.  Seeing these names repeated, I could not help but listen to their music in the background as I continued to read.  Although I am just about free of these past musicians, as I am now enthralled with modern pop music and alternative rock, seeing these names and listening to their songs and brought back memories of long road trips as my parents listened to the Vinyl Classics station on Sirius XM.

I remember one class in which I said I am happy I chose not to be an artist because of the harsh life they live and now reading throughout this chapter I have to slightly recant my haste conclusion.  Although I still cannot imagine having to live with such a lack of financial security, I think it would be amazing to be able to surround myself with these very notable and famous artists and musicians.  It is a very diverse group of people and I remember Smith saying how it is as if the entire hotel held many universes as in each room there was just a whole different type of person.  As a developing artist she also says how many of these people had influenced her and in living in such a place, I guess you would not be able to help but be influenced by every artist around you.  I can’t imagine how interesting it would be to be surrounded by all of these artists everyday.

Like I said my parents were alive during this time and they were very into this type of music that was being made but they had never told me about the Hotel Chelsea and so it had been very interesting to learn about it by reading it from a artist’s perspective.  If you had not been able to influence this type of music I really recommend these songs:

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Although the start of the book was quite slow for me, I can see what Ms. Drabik meant when she said that it would be hard to put down the book. The moment Patti got herself to New York, it instantly became an adventure that you really can’t stop reading.

My curiosity sparked when Patti met Saint as I really couldn’t understand how one can befriend a stranger so quickly. Then when she just re-named Bob to Robert, I was just confused how Robert/Bob accepted the name with no hesitation.

What really got my mind racing was how Patti just tossed away the waitress outfit that her mother gave her. It was a sign of hope from her mother, but Patti tossed it away. I can understand how it can be compared to flowers that have wilted, but like flowers, it can also be preserved and be kept.

I just can’t wait to read the rest of this!

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