Early Life
Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 6th, 1928, to two Czechoslovakian immigrant parents, Ondrej and Julia Warhola. His parents had two sons before him, named John and Paul. They were a religious family and attended mass regularly in order to maintain their Slovakian culture and heritage. When Warhol was eight years old, he got sick with Chorea, which is a very rare and often times fatal disease of the nervous system. During this time, he would remain at home and listen to the radio or collect pictures of movie stars. His mother, in order to help Warhol pass his time faster, gave him drawing lessons. It was during this sick period in his life when Warhol developed a strong passion for art, photography and pop culture. A year later, with the camera his mother bought him, Warhol even created a darkroom in his basement. When Warhol was feeling better, he attended Holmes Elementary School and even took free art classes at Carnegie Institute.
Unfortunately, when he was fourteen his father, Ondrej, passed away. Warhol had a strong bond with him, so when he was told he could not attend the funeral, Warhol hid under his father’s bed throughout the wake. Ondrej believed in Warhol’s artistic talent, and in his will, he wrote that his life savings would fund Warhol’s college education. In 1945, he enrolled in Carnegie Institute for Technology to study pictorial design.
Life as an Artist
After Warhol graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, he decided to move to New York City to further his career as a commercial artist. Since Warhol was initially known as Andy Warhola, it was during this monumental change in his life that he decided to drop the “a” at the end of his last name. In September of 1949, he began working with Glamour magazine. As a result, he was becoming more known in the art industry and even won several awards for his whimsical artistic style.
In the late 1950’s Warhol, along with artists Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, and Claes Oldenburg, introduced a new form of art called “pop-art”. It followed from the Abstract Expressionist movement and drew on mass media and popular culture. This new form was a major switch from the traditional artistic themes of mythology, morality, and history. Pop art instead celebrated everyday people and objects. A British artist even described pop art as, “‘Popular, transient, expendable, low cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous, big business”’ (History.com).
Campbell’s Soup
In 1962, Warhol exhibited The Campbell’s Soup Cans. They were strategically placed in a single line on narrow shelves, resembling products in grocery aisles. Warhol, at the time, was competing with other pop artists like Roy Lichtenstein. Thus, in order to avoid competition, with the suggestion from a friend, Warhol chose soup cans as his subject. He bought cans from the store and used them to trace projections onto the canvas. It is hand- painted, however, the Fleur de Lys pattern on the can’s bottom edge are hand-stamped. At first, it might seem that all of the individual images are the same, however, looking further into it, one can find slight differences amongst them. For instance, the most obvious detail is the difference in names (they are different flavors). Also, the hues of red and white varieties and one soup can are missing a gold band on the bottom. In this piece of art, Warhol mimics the repetition used in advertisements. He did not have any preference in the way the soups should be arranged, however, at MoMA, they show the chronological order in which the soups were introduced.
Critics were harsh towards Warhol’s art calling him, “‘…a soft-headed fool or a hard-headed charlatan”’ (MetMuseum). An art dealer even parodied Warhol’s show by displaying real soup cans in his gallery, stating that people could get them cheaper in his exhibit. Warhol was determined to continue his work despite the criticism. He even turned to photo-silkscreen process, which is a printmaking technique. This process would become his signature style.
Marilyn Monroe
Several years after Marilyn Monroe passed away, Warhol created a different type of sprints resembling the star herself. Based on MoMA, “Each image here was printed on five screens: one that carried the photographic image and four for different areas of color, sometimes printed off-register.” He used the shifting colors and off-register effects in screen printing to achieve this look. This pop art does not depict Warhol’s sensation of the world, instead, it is his reference to pop culture, which was a continuous motive behind his work. “By celebrating the seemingly impervious veneer of glamour and fame, but acknowledging its darker inner complexity, these prints reveal Warhol’s subtle grasp of American culture” (MoMa). This is yet another one of this repetitive artworks, that stems at the idea that, “The more you look at the same exact thing, the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel” (MoMa). This was his way of showing de-personalization and mass production in the modern world. Unlike many critics of the modern world, Warhol loved when things were dull and lacked passion.
Warhol’s Later Life
In 1964, Andy Warhol opened up his own, private art factory, known simply and plainly as “The Factory”. The Factory became the mecca for social and pop culture during the era, the coolest of the cool would come to hang out at The Factory or come participate in the lavish parties that Warhol would host. Famous celebrities and musicians would be found at The Factory, including Lou Reed who wrote a famous song, Walk on the Wild Side, in which Mr. Reed mentions a variety of famous and popular individuals that he interacted with at The Factory. Warhol himself loved and adored the night scene, and if not hosting parties at his art factory, he would easily be found out in New York City enjoying the night-life and partying at various nightclubs including, Studio 54 and Max’s Kansas City.
On June 3rd, 1968 Andy Warhol’s artistic career was almost stripped away from him when Warhol was shot by Valerie Solanas, an aspiring writer. Solanas worked with Warhol when she appeared within one of his films but was reportedly upset and angered with Andy Warhol’s refusal of using a script that she had written. In order to take out her anger and frustration, she shot Andy Warhol, leaving him in critical condition at a New York City hospital where he spent several weeks resting and recovering. As a result of the shooting, Andy Warhol was forced to spend the rest of his life in a surgical corset. During the 1970’s, Andy Warhol experimented with video art, releasing and producing over 60 films while participating and partaking in sculpture and photography as well. During the 1980’s Andy Warhol entered the television-media world and began hosting Andy Warhol’s TV as well as Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes, which were found on MTV.
Death
Towards the final years of Andy Warhol’s life and career, Mr. Warhol faced and suffered several issues and chronic failures within his gallbladder. Andy Warhol was admitted to the New York Hospital on February 20th, 1987 to have a surgical procedure in order to remove his gall bladder. The surgery went smoothly and Warhol seemed to have been recovering to his normal self. Unexpectedly, on February 22nd, 1987, Andy Warhol suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, ending his amazing and magnificent life at the young age of 58. Several thousands of people attended the memorial hosted for the glorified artist by the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City (biography.com).
Seminar Themes
Meaningfulness – Andy Warhol’s artworks, specifically his paintings during his “pop-art” era effectively depict the seminar theme of meaningfulness by depicting common goods and services which Warhol saw as purposeful within his daily life. Warhol received much criticism and negative backlash to his art piece of the Campbell’s soup cans. Warhol did not allow for this to alter or disturb him as an artist because he depicted this art piece to show the simple purpose and message that repeated advertisement portrayed to potential customers. Warhol’s artistic pieces including the soup cans or Coca-Cola bottles were not intended to have a second-hand meaning to the art, but rather to depict and celebrate everyday objects. This objects of soda bottles and soup cans can seem irrelevant and unimportant to most people but to Andy Warhol, these common items portrayed a form of importance and meaning within his life and career and he believed to depict this design and idea.
What is art and what is its purpose? – With the release of Andy Warhol’s art pieces included during the “pop-art” era, many critics and individuals bashed and denounced Warhol’s art. Warhol was called names, including “soft-headed fool” after releasing the Campbell’s soup piece because midst release of the work, people were confused by his art. People did not understand Andy Warhol’s art and this confusion led to people feeling frustration and anger which they would take out on Warhol. The idea that the art did not contain a back-door meaning crabbed and embittered individuals because they did not understand the art. They had difficulty grasping around the idea that not all art pieces must include some meaning or story to back up the artwork; some pieces may just have no real captivating and thought-provoking connotation. Andy Warhol’s art pieces’ purpose was to simply exist for their own sake and depict common everyday objects and goods that were used and had to mean within his own life. Going further in time, looking now during the 21st century, Warhol’s art pieces are still up at the MoMA today with new viewers admiring and honoring his brilliant artwork.
-Alan Glikman and Talita-Elena Vuvunikyan
Works Cited
“Andy Warhol.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/andy-warhol-9523875.
“Andy Warhol Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-warhol-andy-artworks.htm.
Brown, Emily. “Andy Warhol And His Artistic Influence.” Culture Trip, 6 Sept. 2016, theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/andy-warhol-and-his-artistic-influence/.
Menand, Louis. “Top of the Pops.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 10 July 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/01/11/top-of-the-pops.
“MoMA Learning.” MoMA | Andy Warhol. Campbell’s Soup Cans. 1962, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/andy-warhol-campbells-soup-cans-1962.
“Pop Art Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-pop-art.htm.
The Andy Warhol Family Album – Warhol’s Biography, www.warhola.com/biography.html.
“16 Things You Might Not Know About Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans.” 16 Things You Might Not Know About Andy Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ | Mental Floss, 6 Aug. 2016, mentalfloss.com/article/71814/16-things-you-might-not-know-about-andy-warhols-campbells-soup-cans.
December 14, 2017 at 6:32 pm
Apparently, a lot of his health issues as a child caused him to be alienated and bullied by kids in school. It affected his physical appearance, as well as his mental being. All the time spent alone was put towards his art. His attachment to objects and inclination towards large groups of famous people was a defense mechanism of his innate loneliness and fear of intimacy with people. His sicknesses affected his body, which grew a hatred in him of his appearance. He would draw people he thought idealized perfection, such as Marilyn Monroe. The items he drew, like Campbell’s soup cans and coke bottles, were everyday items that people lived on through the Great Depression when he was growing up. His art is so colorful and eye-catching, yet contrastingly stem from such a dark childhood and life experience. And thus, his art was very meaningful.
December 17, 2017 at 8:11 pm
Based on much of the abstract and obscure modern art that is still created today, it seems that Andy Warhol’s “pop-art” style had a significant lasting impact on future generations of artists. I find it very interesting how Warhol’s art combined abstract expressionism and pop culture to bring a unique and revolutionary artistic perspective to everyday object that exist in our lives. His combination of repetition and variation in his art creates a very interesting and stimulating effect. Seeing some of his art and much of the modern obscure art that exists today in museums like the MoMa and the Whitney ties very well into the seminar themes of “meaningfulness” and “what is art and what is its purpose.”
December 18, 2017 at 12:46 am
I love Andy Warhol! His blending of pop art and abstract expressionism is what has motivated other art movement in pop culture since his peak of fame in the 1960s, and has made him truly iconic. The thing I find most interesting about him however was that he was shot by Valeria Solanas, and survived! When looking into this crime by Solanas, I found that she was considered a radical feminist, and was angry that Warhol had taken credit for a script that she had written. Her attempt to kill Warhol was more than just an act of anger, but was meant to represent the universal demise of male ego and power in society. Although she did not succeed in killing him, its still really intriguing to know that her intent to kill was more socially driven then it was necessarily personal.
December 18, 2017 at 5:29 pm
I particularly enjoyed learning about Andy Warhol, who was such a famous, influential artist. I even have a painting inspired by his work hanging in my room. I was interested to discover that Warhol’s passion for art blossomed during a period where he was sick on bedrest, because his mom thought art lessons would lift his spirits. Warhol was among the first artists to partake in the “pop-art” movement, which was based somewhat on the abstract expressionist movement prior. Warhol defied the existing notion that art had to be defined with strict bounds; he made it known that any object could be deemed as art, even Campbell Soup Cans. Later, Marilyn Monroe was one of his most iconic muses. I have seen his art depictions in the MoMa and now that I have learned a bit more about Warhol’s background, I have a newfound appreciation for his work.
December 19, 2017 at 12:29 pm
As I covered the movie Factory Girl, I had gained knowledge about the artist Andy Warhol. I had become interested in his peculiar style of art and his work testing the boundaries of what we define as art. Thus, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. One of my favorite works of art by Warhol has to definitely be the Campbell’s Soup Can Collection as it conveys a deeper message. While it may look like just a depiction of soup cans on a grocery market shelf, the fact that it conveys a message of the uniformity of the marketing industry is an interesting point of view.
December 22, 2017 at 10:42 am
I found your explanation of Andy’s Warhol’s life insightful and interesting. I didn’t know that his childhood sickness actually led him to art. Like many great artists that we have studied, Andy Warhol was radical in his art. I can see how his contributions to pop-art is still relevant today. I thought his work with “The Campbell’s Soup Cans” and Marilyn Monroe was very interesting. Andy Warhol’s art was meaningful, but I think it also shows the seminar theme of “What makes New York City unique.” His work definitely helped art progress and evolve in New York City and beyond.
December 24, 2017 at 5:50 am
Andy Warhol is an artist who makes me look at something I would have considered completely boring and analyze it until I find some sort of deeper meaning behind the reason I willingly dedicated time to examining it. I had previously seen his Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe pieces without knowing Andy Warhol was the person behind them, and knowing more about his life definitely adds to the appreciation I have for his art. His poor health and disapproval of his own appearance led him to use supposedly flawless models, such as Marilyn Monroe, in his art, but the fact that he was able to create something so noteworthy out of even common items such as soup cans highlights the notion that Warhol was able to see unconventional beauty as well.