The Prince of Pop Art

By Kate Gladkova, RIMO-202.

WHAT IS ALL THIS ABOUT?

The goal of this presentation is to share my interest about one of the greatest artists of the 20th century with you. As you already see I’m going to tell you the story of Andy Warhol.

THESE ARE SOME QUOTATIONS OF ANDY HIMSELF AND HIS FRIENDS.

LET’S SEE HIS STORY TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER IT’S TRUE OR NOT.

“I am a deeply superficial

person”

“I like boring things”

“I am from nowhere”

“a true workaholic”

Warhol came down with St. Vitus' dance in third grade, an affliction of the nervous system causing involuntary movements which is believed to be a complication of scarlet fever. He was frequently bed-ridden as a child and became an outcast amongst other students. When in bed he drew a lot, listened to the radio and collected pictures of movie stars. Years later Warhol described the period of his sickness as very important in the development of his personality and in the forming of his skill-set and preferences.

Lots of his works were devoted to Marilyn Monroe.

Upon graduation, Warhol moved to New York which was the perfect place for an illustrator to make a living. He became well-known for his whimsical ink drawings done in a loose, blotted ink style.

He also did advertising and window displays for retail stores such as Bonwit Teller and I. Miller. Ironically, his first assignment was for Glamour magazine for an article titled "Success is a Job in New York."

A TURNING POINT IN WARHOL'S CAREER

In the 1960s Warhol began to make paintings of American products such as Campbell's Soup Cans & Coca-Cola bottles and comic strips like Superman & Popeye. Starting in 1962 he began making silkscreens of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Troy Donahue, and Elizabeth Taylor by using enlarging photographs and transferring the images onto his canvases using a projector.

Installation of Campbell's Soup Cans - 1962

Triple Elvis - 1963

THE FACTORY.

Consequently he founded The Factory in 1962. It was an art studio where he employed in a rather chaotic way "art workers" to mass produce mainly prints and posters but also other items like shoes designed by the artist. The Factory included a wide range of artists, writers, musicians and underground celebrities. The first location of the Factory was in 231 E. 47th Street, 5th Floor (between 1st & 2nd Ave) in New York City.

“typical” factory moment

BAD TIMES FOR ANDY.

In 1968 Valerie Solanas, a periodic

factory visitor, and the sole member of

SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men)

walked into the Factory and shot

Warhol. The attack was near fatal and

he was briefly declared dead (doctors

opened his chest and massaged his

heart to help stimulate its movement

again).

Warhol barely survived. He never fully

recovered and for the rest of his life had

to wear a bandage to prevent his

injuries from worsening. Years later, his

wounds would still occasionally bleed

after he overexerted himself.

In 1970s Warhol's activities became more and more entrepreneurial. He started the magazine Interview and even a night-club. In 1974 the Factory was moved to 860 Broadway. In 1975 Warhol published "The philosophy of Andy Warhol (from A to B and Back Again)".

He began the 1980's with the publication of POPism: The Warhol '60s. He also began work on Andy Warhol's TV, a series of half hour of video programs patterned after Interview magazine.

"I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're so beautiful. Everything's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic."

FEBRUARY 22ND 1987.

Following routine gall bladder surgery, Andy Warhol died of complications during his recovery

SOME STATISTICS.

The Warhol market is considered the bellwether of post-war and contemporary art for many reasons.

SO WHAT HE WAS LIKE?

a religious man

had a bizarre personality

was extremely eccentric as he grew older

obsessed by the ambition to become famous

loved cats and he sometimes made images of them in his artworks for his personal collection

AFTER HIS DEATH

In May 1994 the Andy Warhol Museum opened in his home town Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Warhol had so many possessions that it took nine days to auction his estate after his death; the auction grossed more than US$20 million.

In 1987 in accordance with his will the foundation was established. It’s mission is the advancement of the visual arts.

"People need to be made more aware of the need to work at learning how to live because life is so quick and sometimes it goes away too quickly." - Andy Warhol

Links:http://planetgroupentertainment.squarespace.com/andy-warhols-factory-people/http://www.warholfoundation.org/http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/popart/Andy-Warhol.html