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Andy Warhol

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Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was born in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 6, 1928. In 1945, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Institute for Technology, where he studied pictorial design. He quickly moved to New York City, where he would develop the 1960s Pop art movements. He landed a job with Glamour magazine in September 1945, doing drawings. He also drew advertising for Vogue, Harper's Bazzar, book jackets, and holiday greeting cards. His first solo exhibition was held at Hugo Gallery, New York, in 1952. It featured drawings to illustrate stories by Truman Capote. (Hou, 1990) He received many accolades for his work, including the 35th Annual Art Directors Club Award for Distinctive Merit in 1956, and the 36th Annual Art Directors Club Medal and Award of Distinctive Merit in 1957. (Hou, 1990) In 1962, he exhibited the paintings of Campbell's soup cans, which has become a “Pop Art”icon. His most famous celebrity models include Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger and Mao Zedong.(Hou, 1990) His portrait " Eight Elvises" sold for $100 million dollars in 2008. It is known as one of the most valuable paintings in world history. (Hou, 1990) Warhol began to make his first paintings in 1960, based on comic strips and Coca-Cola bottles. In November 1964, opened his own art studio known as "The Factory",became know to frequent nightclubs like Studio 54 and Max's Kansas City,and began his self portrait series. (Hou, 1990) (Warhol, 2013) On June 3, 1968, Warhol was shot by Valerie Solanas[->0], the founder of SCUM . He survived , however, spent two months in a hospital. A film was constructed from this incident entitled “I Shot Andy Warhol” in 1996.(Hou, 1990) He became quite distraught following the shooting, which inspired him to create his “Disaster” series. Warhol released several books such as “Andy Warhol's Index”, “The Philosophy of Andy Warhol” and “Exposures”. He also made films, his most famous including “Sleep” and “Eat”. (Warhol, 2013)In the 1980s, he hosted his own shows on MTV entitled “Andy Warhol's TV” and “Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes”. Andy Warhol died on February 22, 1987 from gall bladder complications, leaving and estate worth $500 million dollars. He was only 58 years old. Many people did not know that Andy Warhol wore a wig when in public, coined the term “superstar”, and was pictured on a US postage stamp in 2002. Singer David Bowie[->1] wore the wig Warhol had left him in his last will and testament in Basquiat, a 1996 film portraying Warhol. (Warhol, 2013)(Hou, 1990) Andy Warhol, in my opinion, was an artistic genius. My favorite of his works of art is “Skull” from 1976. This piece is actually comprised of ten canvases composed of silkscreen and acrylic. The repetition of the skulls give this piece rhythm. The use of primary, secondary and tertiary colors against the monochrome canvas gives a wonderful balance and amazing contrast. The feeling of sadness and hope combined while viewing this incredible work of art is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and shows the ability to appeal to many different appreciators from many different backgrounds.

References

Hou, H. (1990). Andy warhol. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0912238/bio

Andy Warhol. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Available from http://www.biography.com/people/andy-warhol-9523875 [Accessed 17 Sep 2013]

[->0] - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0812640/
[->1] - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000309/

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