Lauren Sindelar
Andy Warhol
Mao (1973)
Andy Warhol was born, as Andrew Warhola, on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. As a child, he turned to coloring books and Hollywood magazines supplied
by his mother for entertainment, during periods of illness. His interest in popular culture
and art would follow him throughout his life. He received his formal training in art from
the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Following graduation in 1949, Andy changed his
name and moved to New York City where he worked as a graphic designer and
illustrator. His work was featured in advertisements, department store windows, and
magazine articles in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. In the 1950’s, Warhol began
concentrating on the world of fine art. His work was featured in the Museum of Modern
Art’s exhibition, Recent Drawings USA. By 1962, Warhol had found the own niche in
the art world, creating silkscreen images based on figures from popular culture. The
silkscreen process involves the printing of multiple layers of paint on a canvas. Andy was
attracted to this method because of its ability to mass-produce images and its emphasis on
surface value. Warhol often encouraged his viewers to look at the surface of his
paintings, if they wanted to know him, because there is nothing beyond the canvas.
Warhol was implying that both, the canvas and Andy, were based on superficiality.
In the work, Mao (1973), Andy Warhol strayed from the silkscreen method and
created a thoughtful, graphite pencil drawing of Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976). The drawing
exhibits a variety of pressure and line that is not found in silkscreen works. Mao, allowed
the artist to leave his imprint through line and smudge marks, which resulted in a softer
image of his subject. Mao was not known for his beauty or talent, like Marilyn Monroe or
Elvis, but for his politics. Beginning in 1945, as Chairman of the Chinese Communist
Party, Mao used political propaganda to emphasize his presence and induce fear among
the Chinese people. His most effective form of propaganda was the distribution of his
photograph, strategically placing it throughout China. Warhol’s drawing was based on
this propaganda photo. The artist chose to reproduce the photograph, not to help
contribute to the propaganda, but because it was an image that had been so widely
distributed by Chairman Mao and was immediately recognized world-wide. Andy chose
to exploit Mao Tse-tung’s position as a political celebrity.
Andy Warhol
Most Wanted Man No. 12,
Frank B. (1964)
Throughout his career, Andy Warhol (1928-87) contributed to many other fields
of popular culture. He assisted the Velvet Underground, a musical group, on their road
toward success, by providing financial support. He published Interview magazine, which
provided the everyday admirer a glance into the world of their favorite celebrities. He
dabbled in the world of cinematography, by producing films in the Factory, his bizarre
studio where his art work was created, starring his eclectic group of friends. He
patronized the arts, as a collector and through the establishment of the Andy Warhol
Foundation for the Visual Arts. Andy developed his own philosophy described in his
book, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again. His philosophy
addressed rather shallow aspects of life, such as food, sex, fame, money, and beauty.
Included in Warhol’s philosophy was the belief that "in the future, everyone will be
world-famous for fifteen minutes." 1
Warhol used the New York City Police Department mug shots of thirteen
criminals to create silkscreen images for his Most Wanted Men series. In this series, Andy
chose a group of men that were unknown to most. It is fair to assume that Most Wanted
Man No. 12, Frank B. was easily recognized by family and friends. Even, the New York
City Department of Justice identified Frank, through his inmate identification number
located on the prints. Outside of these groups, however, Frank appeared to be an average
young man. Andy’s inclusion of Frank, in the series, provided the felon with his own
fifteen minutes of fame. This fame was probably not the recognition that Frank would
have preferred because it highlighted his criminal past, which involved murder and draft
evasion, something he wished to erase. Each silkscreened image has inconsistencies, like
variations in color or texture, but they capture the profile and facial features of one
individual: Frank B. In these representations, the flaws of the silkscreen process relate to
the flaws found in human character. Both strive for perfection, but ultimately do not
succeed.
1
Warhol photo exhibition, Stockholm, 1968: Kaplan, Justin, ed., Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 16th Ed.,
1992 (Little, Brown & Co.), p. 758:17)