Andy Warhol
1928-1987
Andy Warhol was born
Andrew Warhola in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in
1928.
In 1945 he entered the
Carnegie Institute of
Technology where he majored
in pictorial design.
Upon graduation, Warhol
moved to New York where he
found steady work as a
commercial artist.
He worked as an
illustrator for several
magazines including Vogue
and The New Yorker and did
advertising and window
displays for retail stores
on 5th Ave.
His first assignment
was for Glamour
magazine doing the
drawings for an
article titled
"Success is a Job in
New York."
Throughout the 1950s, Warhol enjoyed a successful
career as a commercial artist.
It was at this time he shortened his name to
"Warhol."
With his large sunglasses and straw blonde
hair “Andy Warhol” was born…
Andy Warhol first experimented with a special type
of line drawing known as the blotted line technique
while still a college student in Pittsburgh.
As a commercial artist, Andy used this technique to create
illustrations of everything from luxury cars to fanciful
animals.
He also designed magazine ads of shoes at this time.
However, Glamour told Warhol his designs were today
“old fashioned”.
So he went back the next day with 50 of the most
beautiful drawings they had ever seen.
Although Andy Warhol was a successful commercial artist he wanted to be
seen as a “true artist.”
The 1960s was an extremely important decade for Warhol. Using images
from popular culture, Warhol created many paintings that remain
icons of 20th-century art, such as the Campbell's Soup Cans.
Artwork based on popular culture is called Pop Art.
Along with the Campbell’s Soup Cans Warhol used pop icons
such as….
Elvis Presley
Elizabeth Taylor
Marilyn Monroe
Jackie Kennedy
Mick Jagger
….and Barbie
Warhol's signature style used commercial silkscreening
techniques to create identical, mass produced images on
canvas, then variations in color to give each print of an
edition a different look.
While Warhol is best
known for his pop
icons, he completed
a series of silk
screen prints of
Endangered species
based on his life
long interest in
animals.
At this time Warhol also made several controversial
16mm films which have become underground classics
such as Chelsea Girls and Empire
He also created two cable television
shows, "Andy Warhol's TV" in 1982 and
"Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes" for MTV
in 1986. Warhol believed that everyone
will have their 15 minutes of fame.
Perhaps he was too controversial…In 1968, Valerie
Solanis, walked into Warhol's studio and shot the
artist. The attack was almost fatal.
Later there was a movie made about it.
After the attack Warhol's generally sunny and upbeat
artwork turned to more serious subjects in his images
Such as these……
Electric Chair
Ambulance Crash
..and a series of mug shots
titles “13 Most Wanted Men”
He did several pieces
based on the death of
JFK.
Warhol died in New York on February 27, 1987 after a
gallbladder operation. He had set, and then stretched the
boundaries of POP ART. Warhol's depictions of everything
from Campbell's Soup Cans to the faces of celebrities has
made him the most influential American artist of the 20th
century.