Introduction

As you can probably see, this site is about Andy Warhol. I chose to do my research project on Warhol because I have been interested in him for awhile. I know this might sound stupid, but I became interesed in him be shear accident. I was in Journey's on day and bought a purse and inside the pusre was this letter explaining where the artwork came from. The image ont he bag was a Warhol painting, and that where it all began. Soon after that I kept buying the bags not only because I liked them but becasue they where, as one could say "out there". Everytime I carried on people would ask question or have comments about it. Sot that is the story behind my facination with Warhol. Within this site you will find interesting tid bits of what influenced Warhol, how he created some of his art, and the history of Warhol. If I where able to redo a particular part of the project it would have to be the interaction. I really wish that I could have found somewhere that had actual Warhol art. Overall, I enjoyed the project and hope you will enjoy this site aswell.

Written Response - Obituary

On August 6, 1928 a beautiful baby boy was born to Andrej and Julia Warhola named Andrew Warhola. Raised in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Andy was unlike his brothers in the since that he enjoyed coloring more than baseball. Falling critically ill early in life with Scarlet Fever, he quickly developed a fascination with Shirley Temple and Mickey Mouse, marking the beginning of his lifelong obsession with celebrities. After grade school Andy attended School of Fine Arts at Carnegie Institute of Technology where he studied in commercial art. In the 50’s Andy began to gain fame with his whimsical advertisement drawings and soon after held his first art show at the Bodley Gallery.
Continuing with his new career as an artist he began using techniques that were not common to the art world. He capitalized on taking iconic figures and in a since Warholizing them. Throughout his career he changed mediums quite often; from canvas to television to video to photography and even writing. Andy was an all around creative person; if he wanted to accomplish something, nothing would hold him back. Later on in life he faced an assassination attempt that only made him stronger. Sadly, after a routine gallbladder surgery Andrew Warhola died due to complications from the surgery. Gone but not forgotten, Andy Warhol leaves behind a timeless legacy that will outlive us all.

Critical Review 10 - Interview

Summary: Anne Frost is an art and photography teacher at Hewitt Trussville High School. She became interested in art as a young child. It was a part of her from the beginning seeing as both her grandmothers where into painting. In the 1960’s Frost became interested in photography due to magazines and her first camera. She said that art had always been a part of her but being married to an artist as well she decided a teaching career would be perfect. I asked her if she had ever considered teaching Warhol techniques in the classroom and she said that she has before and has plans for doing so next year as well.

Response: I had incredibly difficult time finding someone to interview but it turns out there was a perfect candidate right in front of me the whole time. Mrs. Frost was really excited and happy that I chose to interview her. Her responses where great and detailed but hard to incorporate into a summary. I loved it when I asked if was taught about Warhol in college her response was, “LOL! He was still working when I was in college!” I found this response really funny, but I guess I should have asked a more reasonable question.

Frost, Anne. Personal Interview. 4 May 2009.

Critical Review 9 - Live Interaction

Summary: The Birmingham Museum of Art was where I chose to do my live interaction. Filled with amazing art, my family and I saw a ton of stunning pieces. One piece was Bonjour Julie by Joan Mitchell. This particular piece was created in 1971 and was an abstract composition of three canvases covered in different shades of blue, yellow, and orange. Next we saw William Wiley’s Remedial Archeology and the Like. This piece was half colorful and half black and white outlines. Also in the student art we saw Self Portrait by Jordan Acton, which was a portrait with uncommon colors such as yellow on the face and orange on the hair.

Response: Our time at the art museum was fun, but I thought it was almost unnecessary for my project seeing as they did not have any professional art that would remotely resemble Warhol’s. The Student section was where I was surprised to see the painting by Jordan Acton. His picture was classic Warhol. The abstract use of colors in a simple portrait was exactly what I was looking for. All the professional art that I was interested in was considered contemporary but not pop art. As we entered the gift shop we did find merchandise with Warhol prints on it. My sister even bought a Warhol phone book.

Critical Review 8

Summary: Andy Warhol was the third son of Andrej and Julia Warhola. He was never interested in sports unlike his brothers. All the Warhola children had artistic ability but Andy soon outshined his brothers. Falling ill as a child, he endured years of scrutiny from others students when he returned to school. He was ill for a long time causing constant care or a watchful eye from someone. He had an early astonishment with Shirley Temple. He joined her fan club and was obsessed. This marked his lifetime fascination with celebrities. After becoming successful in the art business and making a name for himself, Warhol established the Factory where he mass produced his artwork. After his sudden death in the late 80’s, his estate was sold marking the long gone but never forgotten Andy Warhol.

Review: This book was helpful, I guess. It was kind of redundant from everything else I’ve read so far, but there’s nothing I can really do. It did however; explain Warhol’s obsession with celebrities and his fascination with Shirley Temple and Mickey Mouse. In the book the authors recall a story the brothers and shared. They said that they were playing baseball and Andy was an outfielder. When someone hit the ball to where he was no one was there. It then said that “I later found him sitting in front of the house drawing flowers.” That’s just how Warhol was from an early age, passionate about art.

Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. Andy Warhol Prince of Pop. New York: Delacorte Press, 2004.

Critical Review 7

Summary: The Warhol art brand has outlived the time in which it a was expected. His style of art set chaos through the world of Modern Art as they knew it. Through his art, the distinction between business, reality, art, life, and work where demolished, this is why his legacy is still in today’s society. Now in today’s day and age, photo shop will let you recreate his style, and had he been here to witness this, he would know exactly how to harbor the market and make it his own. Not only has it been made easy to recreate Warhol’s art, but it seems as if he has been exhibited in several exhibitions in the past year. And those local artist are still mesmerized and intrigued at how he made such a difference in the art world. One exhibit is in a way combining all the elements of Warhol’s work into a unique gallery. An exhibit of his versatility as an artist. Focusing on the musical influences in his career, one key person would have to be John Cage. The exhibit also asks the viewer to replace the association of Warhol to commercialism and associate him with philosophy.

Response: I chose this article because it seems to focus more on how Warhol is still in our society today. His art is timeless and will forever fit into the image that the world has set. Instead of focusing on the commercial aspect of Warhol, the writer asks for the reader to “replace our reading of Warhol’s pop art as a comment on commercialism with a more deeply aesthetic philosophy.” I agree with this because Warhol thought through his art even if it was a spur of the moment idea. He knew that he had a goal with his art, hence where the philosophy part comes in.
"Andy Warhol." LSM Online. 02 Sept 2008. 8 Apr 2009. .

Critical Response 6

Summary: Born and raised in Pittsburg, Andy Warhol was the son of Slovakian immigrants. Around the age of thirteen, Warhol tragically lost his father in a construction accident. After showing early signs of talent in drawing and painting, he then went on to graduate with a commercial art degree. After school he began work for Harpar’s Bazaar and Vogue, establishing himself in the art world. Once Warhol broke free of the commercial world, he held his first individual exhibition in 1952 at the Hugo Gallery in New York. Then in 1956 he had another exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. In the sixties he began painting everyday mass/consumer products such as the coke bottle and Campbell’s soup can. Then in 1962 he began silk screening famous people such as Monroe. Not only did he recreate images of mass production products but he also wanted to mass produce his works. To accomplish this he created his studios know as the Factory. It was not only his art studio but also a film studio for Warhol’s next move. In July of 1968, Warhol was shot which nearly cost him his life. After this attempt to take his life, Warhol had a radical change in his career where he now focused on individual portraits of well know people. A little into Warhol as a person: he was gay and loved cats. He was a workaholic and was determined to become rich and famous. Tragically he died in 1987.

Response: Like some of my other sources, this article focused on Warhol’s career through stages in his art. Fortunately it was much easier to read than most of the other sources. I think that is due to the way the site is broken down in chunks of information rather than a straight essay type work. However, this author portrayed Warhol’s personality as one who was all about fame and fortune and before it seemed as if he was genuine person. I also liked that the author chose to throw in quotes to express their point. One thing the author said about Warhol’s videos was that they were, “rather bizarre and some rather pornographic.” I never got that from any other site and truly do not want to believe that! However, I’m not going to sort through all his crazy films to find out.

Wanczura, Dieter. "Andy Warhol-1928-1987." Artelino. Mar 2009. 8 Apr 2009. .

Critical Response 5

Summary: Along with Warhol’s other works, he had a fascination with Hollywood. Thus, sparking his artist recreations of several different stars in the 1960’s. Along with this celebrity kick, he also had a “death and disaster” era in his art. During this time he would create pictures of electric chairs and car crashes. He then started his film career in 1963. He made over 600 films in a little over ten years, ranging from four minutes long to twenty-five hours long. He held his first exhibition for his sculptures in 1964. After his painting “Flowers” was exhibited in Paris in 1965 he announced his retirement from painting to focus on filmmaking. In 1966, Cow Wallpaper was exhibited. Then in 1968, Solanas shot Warhol in the chest nearly causing his death. He published around nine art books. During the 1970’s Warhol experimented with invisible sculpture, oxidation painting, TV production and much more. Then in the 1980’s he produced music videos and modeled during fashion shows. He also began collaborating with different artist for new projects. Tragically he died in 1987 due to a complication during a routine surgery.

Response: In this biography of Warhol’s life, Wrbican is sure to expand on each phase of Warhol’s career. I did not realize the versatility the Warhol had. People today know him as a pop artist but once you really look at his career, you realize that he was so much more than that. Probably the most outrageous thing that I have heard from Warhol’s career has been the Oxidation Paintings. Wrbican describes the painting made with urine and metallic paint as, “beautiful abstract shapes, in contrast to their shocking medium.” I mean, I knew that Warhol thought outside of the box, but really?

Wrbican, Matt. "Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film." PBS. 1 Apr 2009. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/andy-warhol/a- documentary-film/44/>.

Critical Response 4

Summary: Inspiration in some of Warhol’s paintings is credited to his childhood. His mother who was also an artist may have been the beginning force in Andy Warhol’s artistic career. As a child, Warhol once became ill; during his time in bed he would draw and trace pictures of images in books and magazines. A series of art that he did in the 1980’s shows his change from real people to mythical creations. This art also had a deeper meaning, trying to portray the influence the images had in people’s upbringing.

Response: Though this site is not specifically all about Andy Warhol, it gives good information to explain a possible inspiration in Warhol’s life. Though this mythical collection came much later in his career it was meant to show people a different side of Warhol. This site helps me to understand why there was such a drastic change in his style of art. The writer said that “he selected characters that he felt influenced children growing up in mid-century America,” which to me says that Warhol did not do his art just because it was different, but he was trying to show people the importance that these images had on their childhood and possibly their everyday life.

"The Andy Warhol Myths Series and Studio." Children's Museum of Indianapolis. 1 Apr 2009 .

Critical Response 3

Summary: After developing his name in the art business through more commercial work Andy Warhol felt comfortable enough to branch out. He began painting iconic items and comic strips. Despite initial rejection from the art world he continued to preserver in his new painting career. Following his acceptance into the art world, he developed his studio known as the Factory. The inspiration behind his paintings came from popular culture. However, the art was made his own through color use, placement, size, and shape. With all these elements added, it made the picture almost unreal. After a close call with death, a new artistic focus came out. Warhol began to focus on celebrities and iconic people marking a new era in Warhol art. In the 80’s his focus changed again, but this time towards more mythical characters.

Response: In this website I found, the writer tells the reader many different sides of Andy Warhol. They show what I would call a time line of his work and artistic career through a large span of time. I believe that when the writer said, “However he continued and, in 1962, he held his second show in New York which was met with critical acclaim” you get a small taste of the perseverance it took for Warhol to even begin his career. And to see that the outcome was is amazing. A world renowned artist, who’s legend and art will remain here forever.

"Real Lives. Andy Warhol." The Biography Channel. 1 Apr 2009 .

Critical Response 2

Pop Art

Summary: American pop art developed in the early sixties as abstract expressionism. The art form focused in on the mass production world, harvesting the advertisement images and portraying them in a since to make people aware of the impact these companies have on them. Commonly the pictures where centered on the canvas and where depicted in strong, vibrant colors to catch your attention. Successful artist all had similar techniques but presented them in different ways. Roy Lichtenstein showed their work in the form of a comic strip with single scenes and dialogue balloons. James Rosenquist used billboards which utilized his previous experience as a sign painter. Andy Warhol was known for his silk screening techniques. Claes Oldenberg made sculptures of the consumer products.

Response: This exert from an encyclopedia was intriguing to me because it showed me the various pop art forms. I never knew that pop art came in the form of sculptures and comic strips. The article was useful because it made me see the difference between Andy Warhol and the other pop artist. Now I will be able to narrow my searches to the pop artist who focused on consumer goods and mainly silk screening and be able to locate the differences between them.

Gyure, Dale Allen. "Pop Art." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 4. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 81-82.Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Trussville City Board of Ed (AVL). 30 Mar. 2009 .

Critical Response 1

Andy Warhol Biography

Summary: Andrew Warhola was born in 1928 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He attended and graduated Carnegie Institute of Technology majoring in pictorial design. Soon after graduation he moved to New York where he quickly became successful as an artist. He worked for several stores doing displays and also worked for magazines such as Vogue. During his successful career as a commercial artist he shortened his name to Warhol. Then in 1952 be showed his individual artwork which was then shown in several other exhibitions. In the 1960’s he then started creating what is now called pop art and also produced several short films. In 1968 he was shot in his studio, fortunately it was not fatal. In the 70’s he began Interview magazine and then redirected his focus back to painting. Then in the 80’s he had two television shows and collaborated with several other artist for new paintings. Sadly, Warhol died on February22, 1987.

Response: I liked this source because it was written by the Warhol Foundation which is a reputable site. Even though it was a slightly lacking in details, it gave me a beginning look at the history of Andy Warhol. This source has showed me the things I need to look out for in order to find out in depth who Andy Warhol was. Plus the site was filled with facts about Warhol, such as the fact that Warhol had two television shows and wrote magazines. I thought he was strictly an artist but I guess I was wrong.

"Andy Warhol: Biography." Warhol Foundation. 2002. 24 Mar 2009