The Life of Andy Warhol and His Contribution to Pop Art

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Date: 24 February 2011.
The Life of Andy Warhol and His Contribution to Pop Art
The phrase pop-art was invented by Lawrence Alloway, who happened to be a British curator in 1955. It was used to describe a new form of popular art, which was a movement that was emerging by that time. This was just like a movement that was characterized by the imagery of consumerism along with popular culture. The pop culture emerged in both New York as well as London in the mid 1950s, as an effect, it became the dominant avant-garde style till 1960s.
It was characterized by simple and bold everyday imagery, along with vibrant block colors. It was much interesting looking at and had a modern feel of ‘hip’. The scheme of bright color on the other hand also enabled such form of avant-garde art, to reiterate certain components in the contemporary culture, and was much helpful in narrowing the divide between the commercial arts and fine arts. The Pop art is considered as being the first post-modernist movement, apart from being the first school of art the reflected the power of films as well as televisions, from which many of its most famous images acquired their celebrity. The common sources of pop iconography were the advertisements, packaging of consumer products, photographs of film-stars, pop-stars, as well as other celebrities and comic strips. This research paper focuses is a chronology of Andy Warhol's Life and how he affected the Pop art movement and his legacy
Personal Life and career of Andy Warhol
In 1928, Warhal was born in Pittsburgh as the son of a migrant from Slovak. His original name was Andrew Warhola. Most of his history is some how shrouded in a mystery and myth. His biographers agree that, he was born in 1928, though some sources say 1927, 1930, while others claim 1931. Going by his own words, Warhol said “I never give my background, and anyway, I make it all up differently every time I’m asked.” (Bockris, 87)His father worked as a construction worker, before toiling as a coal miner. Warhol was a high-strung kid, who suffered from St. Vitus dance, nervous disorder that was characterized by the absence of coordination.
Warhol was an artist, filmmaker as well as a writer, as an effect, he was a hero of counterculture society during late 1970s from late 1960s. It was his influence that soared far beyond the confines of museums as well as art galleries. His work appropriated the images of American popular culture for the reason of high art, creation of portraits that really celebrated a superficial and a time a violent society. Warhol was obsessed with personal fame along with wealth, and was a fixture on the New York celebrity scene for around three decades. During death in 1987, he was among the millionaires, who had used the technique of mass production to come up with several art and photography output. He was recognized instantly by individuals who by that time had no interest in art, and virtually nobody in the artistic community of America was differed with his work.
During his childhood, Warhol was talented in art, and that led him to undertake commercial art at the school of Fine art at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. After his graduation from 1949, Warhol migrated to New York, to undertake a career in commercial arts. Previously, he had only been creating advertisements displays for about three months before moving his drawings to Glamour Magazine. After being impressed with his work, he was commissioned by Glamour to make some drawings of shoes for the article called “Success Is a Job in New York.” (Tillman, 56).
In the publication credits, the magazine by mistake dropped the ““a” from Warhola, and thus Andy Warhola changed his name to Andy Warhol” (Calendar, par 12). In mid, 1950s, it appeared that he was one of the best paid commercial artists in New York City, having clients like Tiffany’ I, I. Miller shoes among others. After being financially stable, in 1960, Warhol dropped his career in commercial art for something that was new. He jumped into –and in many ways helped create the Pop art movement.
Warhol painted comic book characters like Dick Tracy amongst others. He also painted day-to-day objects of several forms and kinds. Nevertheless, he did memorable portraits of actresses like Marilyn Monroe. After opening the 1962 Loss Angeles and New York exhibition, featuring his current famous Campbell Soup Cans, he became the dominant symbol of Pop Art culture. He was the most controversial artist in the 20th century. “He was bold, challenging, inventive and highly ambitious man” (Imdb.com, par 16).
Warhol used the most modern creative means like silkscreen printing to come up with iconic portraits of celebrities. He turned stars into art, and in the process he turned himself into a celebrity. This provided him with a number of chances to exclusive social circles that featured intellectuals, media and other wealthy patrons. He nevertheless used the modern production methods, employing a variety of assistants in his New York factory.
His legacy and Impacts on Pop Art
In early 1960s, he ended up opening a studio referred to as a Factory, “where he plus the assistants perfected the art of producing identical prints in large quantities.” (Watson 59) He also produced numerous experimental movies in the same factory. For instance his movie called Empire had positive impact to the Pop culture, as the movies were of high class. As an effect, the factory became a centre of Po culture. More and more people were being attracted. Warhol ended up using some of the people included in his movies, and connected to refer to them as superstars.
Though most individuals who visited the factory were drug users, Warhol himself rarely participated; as a result, he changed people’s perception over the Pop art culture that, it members are drug users. As a matter of fact, the factory becomes the legendary hangout of for artists, celebrities as well as social dropouts. Among glittering visitors was Bob Dyalan.
Ironically, his death brought more fame to the Pop culture. He succumbed to unexpected heart failure in 1987. Since he remained being the centre of Pop culture and the art community in the last decade of his life, his death brought more fame to the community. This is because, during his funeral which was held in New York, was a just a major event. It was reported that, there were so many celebrities among the more than 3,000 mourners, that led traffic on the on Fifth avenue to be disrupted by these who were just spectating along with these photographing to get glimpse of the same.
It has been proved that, there is no other artist in the 20th century that could have drawn such like crowed. As an effect, the name of Pop art culture was mentioned anywhere his death was mentioned, since he was their leader. Since his death, there have been tremendous amounts of interests in the real meaning of Warhol, and how his life was like. It is true that some of them even just want to know if he was immersed in the pop culture. In 1980s, Warhol continued being the powerful figure of Pop Art Culture. He had turned to portrait painting of most celebrities, however, his activities had grown beyond just art making. He was in the centre of corporation that was producing films, plays as well as book publications, he was also involved television. He was also portrait in books, as he was an eccentric millionaire, sharp businessman, and gossiper. (Wolf 98)
While the long term significance of Warhol might be subjected to debate, his impact of the Pop culture of his times is just obvious, not subject to discussion. He gave the public something that the public has never experienced again, and had never experienced before in life, he created emotionless works, that were based on mundane things in life. Even at the time he showed emotionally tragic or charges situations, like for his tragedy, automobile accident scenes, race riots, as well as electric chairs, he rendered them in a technique that could eliminate passion hints. In the beginning, most of the observers dismissed them as just a tacky an...