Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was an American artist, film director, photographer, and leading figure of the Pop Art movement.

Born in 1928 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Andy Warhol changed the art world, creating works inspired by Pop and mass culture. Among his masterpieces, Warhol depicted celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, but also everyday objects like the iconic Campbell’s Soup can, and he made experimental films like Empire.

From a stylistic point of view, he rejected the dominant painting and sculpting techniques and embraced silk-screen printmaking, creating his typical flat areas of color and sharp outlines.

With his New York studio, The Factory, Andy Warhol created a gathering place for artists, intellectuals and celebrities. His art also had a strong influence on other artists such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

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      Who is Andy Warhol?
      A Brief Biography of Pop Art’s Founder

      Warhol was a famous American visual artist, photographer, and filmmaker, who was born on the 6th of August 1928, in Pittsburgh, and died on the 22nd of February 1987.

      Although he was born, raised, and died in the United States, his family was of Polish origin, and his real name was Andrew Warhola. Andy's artistic career developed in New York City, where he became a key figure in the art scene of the time, contributing significantly to the development of the pop art movement.

      Andy Warhol's artworks depict mainly everyday objects and the faces of celebrities of his time. Some of Andy Warhol's paintings and most famous works include Campbell soup cans, Perrier and Coca-Cola water bottles, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Mao Zedong, Stalin, and many others. 

      For the execution of his works of art, he mainly used the silkscreen technique. 

      Pop Art

      In the 1960s, Warhol became a central figure in the pop art movement, which sought to celebrate mass culture objects and celebrities through art. 

      Andy employed the use of silk-screen printing to produce the works; this printing technique allowed the subjects to be reproduced in series. The seriality of Andy Warhol's artworks highlighted the theme of serial and industrial reproduction.

      Andy Warhol's artworks and style, based on simple subjects and bright colors, are iconic and universally recognized. 

      The Style: the most iconic subjects by Andy Warhol

      The protagonists of Andy Warhol's works are the icons of mass culture. The main subjects of his works include celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Mao Zedong, along with everyday objects such as Campbell's soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles. 

      The Polish-American artist often used the silkscreen technique to reproduce the works in series. The mass production of the works emphasized industrial production and the ephemeral nature of Pop culture.
      Through his work, Warhol challenged the traditional artistic and social conventions of his time and profoundly influenced 20th-century art. 

      Flowers

      Andy Warhol's Flowers were created by the artist in 1964 and first exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery. As usual, Warhol started with a shot by another artist, in this case,Patricia Caulfield, to create the work.

      In 1966 Patricia sued Warhol for image appropriation, and after a lengthy plea bargain, Andy Warhol accepted a settlement.After this episode, the father of Pop Ar began to take pictures himself for the creation of his artworks.

      Campbell Soup

      “I used to have the same lunch every day, for twenty years, I guess, the same thing over and over again.” - Andy Warhol 

      This is why Andy Warhol used to portray the well-known Campbell Soup in his work. Andy Warhol did not come from a wealthy family, so every night his mother would offer him the same soup reheated in the microwave. 

      The Andy Warhol soups have become one of the most iconic subjects of his production as well as having brought the Campbell brand to the forefront, which still today maintains more or less the same graphics for its products.

      Marilyn Monroe

      Immediately after the death of Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol forever linked the face of the American actress to pop art.

      The work Marylin Diptych consists of 50 identical images of the actress representing both sides of the showgirl. On one side 25 colored images, and the other 25 black and white images. The starting image of the work was taken by Warhol from the film Niagara.

      Prince

      In addition to the American showgirl, Warhol had also the opportunity to work on a photo of Prince. Vanity Fair acquired exclusive rights to a 1981 photograph of Prince, taken by Lynn Goldsmith, and commissioned Andy Warhol to create an illustration for the magazine.

      This commission inspired Warhol to develop a series of other artworks based on that same image, exploring different color palettes.

      Ladies and Gentlemen

      Andy Warhol created the series Ladies and Gentlemen between 1974 and 1975. This series is well known both for its importance within the artist's career and for the meaningful social message it wants to convey.

      Ladies and Gentlemen primarily depict drag queens and transgender people, individuals who were part of New York City's LGBTQ+ subculture at the time. Through this series, the artist shows his social interest in addressing issues of gender identity through art. 

      Warhol in this way demonstrates his political and social commitment to representing and including within society those who are defined and seen as 'different'.

      Andy Warhol Factory

      The Factory was Andy Warhol's creative center in New York City. Thanks to him, this space became an iconic place in the world of art. 

      The Factory played a key role in Warhol's life and career, as well as being a meeting place for many artists, musicians, actors, celebrities, and influential figures of the time. Andy Warhol eccentric personality, soThe Factoryeccentric atmosphere as well.

      Within his laboratory, Andy Warhol did not just experiment with silk-screen printing and painting, but The Factory was an incubator of experiments. 

      Andy Warhol Movies

      Within The Factory, Andy Warhol also directed several experimental films such as Empire. This is an eight-hour film that filmed the monument for eight hours from dusk to dawn. 

      Another film directed by Warhol was The Factory Films, a series of short films directed by artist Andy Warhol in which people were filmed performing banal movements. These also include Screen Tests in which celebrities were simply filmed looking at the camera.

      How did Andy Warhol die?

      Following gallbladder surgery, Andy Warhol died in 1987 at the age of 58 in New York, after completing the work Last Supper, inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper. The funeral was held in Pittsburgh, his hometown. A year after his death, Sotheby's auction house auctioned off 10,000 items of his possession.

      After his death, the prices of his paintings grew greatly, making him the second best-selling and most-quoted artist, second only to Pablo Picasso.

      Did you know Who shot Andy Warhol?

      On June 3, 1968, Valerie Solanas, a radical feminist writer and activist, shot Andy Warhol and his artist friend inside The Factory. The attack on the two artists appears to have been motivated by personal disagreements between the three. This accident cost the artist permanent physical pain and damage.

      ANDY WARHOL ORIGINAL ART FOR SALE ONLINE ON DEODATO.US

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