Introduction
Andy Warhol was one of the most eminent artists of the 20th century; he is renowned for screen prints, television shows, remarkable magazines, and classic films (Bockris, 2004). At the height of his career, Warhol produced superb works of art that remain icons today. Andrew Warhol was a self-motivated individual, and he concentrated in painting images mostly using the silkscreen technique which was his favorite (Biographiq, 2008).
Apart from silkscreen, Warhol also produced films from his studio. As such, this research paper will discuss Andy Warhol as an artist, his artwork, the design used to create his art and how his artistic work impacts society today. Alternatively, the paper will also examine one dominant theory that relates to Andy Warhol’s creativity while also discussing how his work influences my feelings about art.
Andy Warhol’s biography
Andy Warhol also known as Andrew Warhol was born in the year 1928 in a small town known as Pennsylvania, US (Biographiq, 2008). Although Warhol experienced medical problems, he graduated from Schenley high school and advanced to Carnegie Institute of Technology where he completed his studies in arts and graduated in the year 1948 (Biographiq, 2008).
After college graduation, Andy moved to New York City together with his college friend known as Pearlstein; in New York, Warhol meets Tina Fredricks who worked as an art editor of Glamour Magazine who introduced Warhol to this vocation where he started working in the firm (Biographiq, 2008). While at Glamour Magazine, Warhol made several drawings of advertisements ranging from “magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, book jackets, and holiday greeting cards” (Bockris, 2004).
This was the beginning of Warhol’s painting career, and he later made other works of art such as painting, designing, and exhibitions of pop art among others. In the year 1963, Warhol ventured into the film industry, and he did several excellent film exhibitions; however, he withdrew from film career after what was “a near-fatal shooting” (Danto, 2010) by one of his supporters at an event.
Andy Warhol’s paintings
Andy Warhol was very passionate about art, and he ventured into several works of art. However, his main interest was more pronounced in the painting career. In the 1950s, Warhol had established in the film industry, and he had already made major exhibitions created from his studio named “The Factory” (Danto, 2010).
As a painter, Warhol made major developments through paintings of a Michael Jackson, dollar bills, Coca-Cola bottles and Campbell soup cans which earned him a great reputation (Danto, 2010). These particular paintings remain as his major contribution to pop art.
Warhol’s style of art
Andy Warhol used the silk screen technique to produce his art; the silkscreen also known as the stencil method is a printing technique that originated in China and has existed for many years (Biegelesion, 1983). Biegelesion (1983) indicates that the technique involves the use of a woven mesh that is used to transfer ink which is squeezed using a roller onto the printing face.
Andy Warhol is remarkably the most popular artist of his time because his art is outstanding. To the society, Warhol is a good example of people who have been in the fame but have also managed to enlighten the public through the use of “real” art based on how he perceived the environment (Bockris, 2004). Indeed, his influence on society is yet to reach its peak, and several up-coming artists have followed Warhol’s path to become great artists as well.
His major contribution to the society through art has helped people to believe in the power of observation based on the fact that most of Warhol’s art was an expression of his observation ability (Bockris, 2004). Apart from this, his artwork has been used in schools to motivate and educate art students.
A Theory that relates to Andy Warhol’s art
The critical theory is one of the contemporary theories which can be related to Andy Warhol’s art. This is quite clear because his art is a reflection of the culture and societal issues especially considering that his work was mainly meant to promote the pop culture (Bockris, 2004). According to the critical theory, there are several ways of expressing and making art and Andy Warhol’s unique style, and excellent work reveals this notion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Andy Warhol is an artist who made creative art that was meant to promote popular culture. Mostly, Warhol made his art by observing his environment. His style of art gives me a new perception, and it also enlightens me that, we can be able to observe our surroundings and communicate our feeling through art. Besides, I have also learned that observation is a powerful tool that can bring social change.
References
Biegelesion, J. (1983). The Complete book of silk screen printing production. New York: Courier Dover Publications.
Biographiq. (2008). Andy Warhol: A Life of Pop Art. Tennessee: Lightning Source Inc.
Bockris, V. (2004) Warhol: the biography: 75th anniversary edition. Cambridge: Da capo publishers.
Danto, A. C. (2010). Andy Warhol. New Haven: Yale University press.