Attention Getter : The American Culture

There have been different art forms that have come and go over the course of time. Hence I will discuss, two significant movements like Post-impressionism and Pop art. Two important artists from these movements are, Vincent Van Gogh and Andy Warhol. There are many differences and very few similarities between these two movements and artists, although more differences. Van Gogh is one of the most captivating artists of post-impressionism. . Throughout his career Van Gogh has painted many works. One of those magnificent paintings is “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. In the other hand we will discuss one of the popular paintings “ Gold Marilyn” by Andy Warhol. Warhol is also the most famous of the Pop Artists and played a major role in making the art movement popular.

Pop art got its name from Lawrence Alloway, who was a British art critic in 1950’s. The name “Pop Art” reflected on the “familiar imagery of the contemporary urban environment” (kleiner, 981). This art form was popular for its bold and simple looks plus its bright and vibrant colors. An example of this type of art is the oil painting done by Andy Warhol, “Marilyn Diptych” (Warhol, Marilyn Diptych) in 1962. The Pop art movement became known in the mid-1950 and continued as main type of art form until the late 1960’s. The Pop art movement, was a movement where medium played a huge part in the society, with it reflecting on advertisements, comic strips and even celebrities, like Marilyn. This movement also has a large

Pop Art emerged in Britain in the late 50’s and the United States in the early 60’s.(Mamiya 1992) Pop Art is generally known today as a representation of celebrating popular culture and consumerism, however it’s background and origins are far more broad and extensive. There are many factors and influences that lead to the creation of the Pop Art movement such as adjusting to life after World War II, new technological advances that lead to mass cooperate growth, the evolution of Abstract Expressionism and also social issues in the media such as feminism. (Smith 2001; Mamiya 1992) Many of these factors overlap and act as a catalyst in the creation of Neodadaism and eventually Pop Art. (Livingstone 1992) Pop Art does not have a soul distinct style nor just one major influence and this can be proven by looking at key artists of the movement such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and James Rosenquist as well as female Pop artists such as Martha Rosler. (Brauer, Edwards, Finch & Hopps 2001) Exploring these artists and the major influences of their work will break down Pop Art and establish the movement’s purpose as well as its evolution.

The re-emergence of the found object in pop art was significant in the development of the history of art as it reinforced previous ideas presented by the Dada artists of aesthetics and of what society will accept as an artistic work.

The sixties were a time of social and political change in America, and the art world was not left untouched. Early in the decade a new movement focused on popular culture and national icons began to develop. It was aptly named Pop art. "Many critics were alarmed by Pop, uncertain whether it was embracing or parodying popular culture and fearful that it threatened the survival of both modernist art and high culture..." (Stokstad 1101) Pop artists were not the first to make cultural statements with their work, however controversial art always draws criticism and attention. One of the most well known artists of the Pop movement was Andy Warhol, a young commerial illustrator from manhattan. Warhol's use of popular icons and brands as the focus

When considering the life and works of Andy Warhol, one thing is agreed upon for good or bad, he changed the visual construction of the world we live in. His window advertisements were the beginning of an era, where art would be seen in an array of forms away from the traditional paintings and sculptures of the old world. He made people see everyday material objects in a whole new light; through "Pop Art" he could transform mundane into extraordinary. He was a working man, a social climber, a builder, an acquirer of goods, and a known homosexual. These attributes all contributed to the interesting and complicated nature of his art.

During the 1950’s art took a major turn in history from traditional styles depicting people and scenes of everyday life to abstract thoughts and ideas that were transformed onto a canvas to express emotions and ideals in society. People, events, and society have always impacted several styles of art, but the consumer culture in the 1950’s impacted art in a new completely unique way. Post WWII society was more industrialized and more focused on developing and selling new products. The postwar generation had more disposable income to spend on the latest and greatest products and the market turned to advertisements in mass media to get their products out there to consumers. With televisions and films increasing in popularity the market flooded these forms of media with catchy flashy ads that showed favorable people like movie stars using products. With the increasing use of mass media, the culture shifted to consumerism which effectively shifted art as well. Art was directly impacted by the consumer culture because of society’s use of advertisements, photographs, and films which artists like Richard Hamilton and Andy Warhol used those elements in their own works to portray the change of societal standards in a new modern style of art called pop art.

Even in his very early year of life, Andy Warhol knew that he wanted to grow up and be a part of the artistic world. Throughout his life, his dreams and aspirations were focused on creating art. His aspirations were so obvious in fact, that his father was able to recognize his talents and begin saving money for him to receive a college education. This education was relatively rare during the 1940’s, and therefore set him apart from many other artists of the time. Throughout his later life, Warhol was able to represent himself as an artist who did not conform to the norms of society at the time. His creative use of Pop Art is something that is still very relevant even in today’s society.

Danto yet again highlights unexpected and uncontrollable aspects of the famed author’s career in his bibliography. Andy Warhol as a boy was bullied for his appearance. He never realized his looks may be misleading as this tortured carried on into much of his adult life until the aforementioned Stable Gallery show where he finally achieved the status he holds to this day. He integrated the imperfections of himself into his work, “Warhol himself was carried along with his work, as if he were inseparable from it, with his wig, his weak eyesight, his bad complexion, his loopy, ill-defined musculature?” (44). His 1960 piece Before and After is a stark depiction of what supposedly is a woman pre and post plastic surgery, really highlights his own insecurity. The near broken looking nose represents what physical flaws he sees of himself and perhaps now we can see the “fixed” version as his success. Warhol was lucky enough to have such renown in his early work that it set a standard for him to stand out from the crowd. Andy’s distinctiveness in his sexual orientation, physical appearance, and somewhat awkward personality brought him recognition. Another example in which Warhol used his image to his advantage was in his famed painting, Marilyn Diptych, “The colors in Marilyn Diptych were garish ⎯ chrome yellow hair, chartreuse eye shadow, smeary red lipstick” (41). Extravagant art such as this is a precursor to the eventual meeting and taking in of his avantgarde being. Other Pop artists of the time floundered in their inability to stand out in a crowd, “but Andy became as recognizable as Charlie Chaplin or Mickey Mouse. He became a public personality.” (45). Warhol’s luck in innately noticeable physiognomy prevented anyone step foot on his level. He was the first reputable artist to be relatable to his audience which served only to his

One of his jobs was to design the weather map for NBC’s morning news. In 1952 Warhol held his first exhibit, it was not a financial success, but it enhanced Warhol’s reputation as a commercial artist. But his spare time was now taken up with pop art, inspired by Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, two young pop artist, Warhol had come across in 1958. He began to paint, draw and print everyday objects such as, dollar bills, soup cans, postage stamps, comic strips, and soda bottles. According to Warhol, these were some of the consumer products “on which America is built.”

a photographer, a filmmaker, a publisher of Interview magazine and he loved a good party. Andy reflected many aspects of American culture as no one had done before him. He was as famous for his weird appearance; silver wigs, crazy glasses as for his striking short answers to questions. Warhol was born in

The Pop Art Movement was a pivotal moment in the history of modern art. Well known artist Andy Warhol was extremely influential in the popularity of the pop-art movement. From his early life, to his famous pieces, Andy Warhol’s influence on the art world was one to be celebrated. Andy Warhol was born on August 6th, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was highly creative at a young age, receiving his 1st camera at eight years old.

According to ‘The New Yorker’ magazine, by the ‘1960’s, Warhol had become one of the most successful commercial artists in New York’, and was one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century’.

In order to discuss pop art I have chosen to examine the work and to some extent lives of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol who were two of the main forces behind the American movement. I intend to reflect the attitudes of the public and artists in America at this time, while examining the growing popularity of pop art from its rocky, abstract expressionist start in the 1950s through the height of consumer culture in the 60s and 70s to the present day.

Andy Warhol was a famous artist known for creating rather odd popular culture art that really posed the question at the time about what was the actual definition of “fine art.” He was born in the 1920s, and his career spanned the decades of the 1960s through the 1980s. Warhol started his career in New York as a commercial illustrator and it seems was quite content with his career in the communications/marketing industry. He eventually did try to become an artist and reportedly had trouble breaking into the fine art scene, but he was able to break in with likely the biggest statement of all and one that was brand new to the art scene of his time. His message was that all of his art both written and drawn were his way to “prove that all