ANDY... CH CH CH!



I have always had a keen interest in Art. Today is dedicated to one of my favourite Artists of all time:

 Mr Andy Warhol.

The late, Andy Warhol, was born on August 6th 1928.

He transgressed from his works of commercial illustration, to the become a world renowned Pop artist. His visionary was deemed controversial in some forums, but the effect he had in the industry created a positive mental shift in the human mind.

His creations inspired a more invigorating way of life, enhancing the popularity of lifestyle brands such as Coca Cola and 'Marilyn Monroe' (I guess she was a lifestyle in her own right, at the end of the day?)

His revolutionary prints and paradoxical portraits added some spice to the Art World as he was in tune with conceptualising a popular subject in creating mass-produced, over sized portraits. He took already existing brands and portrayed them in a way that allowed for the audience to determine their 'cool' factor, in terms of the brands that they associate with their lives or those that they identify in the pop-era as more favourable for consumption. From people to canned beans, Mr Warhol's choice of colourful, captivating, eye-popping technique remains untouchable. He took the opportunity of moving into the 'pop-era' to play to the human emotion of acceptance.

In nature, his work appears simple, as his choice in subject matter is not as 'in depth' as one would expect to find in an artist of his time. His hyperbolic style and exaggerated sizes made for a lot of talk amongst the American public. The 50's was a time where brand association and human connection were symbiotic in nature. Simply put, if you were not in the know... You were unknown. His prints are beautiful, to say the least and aimed at infiltrating the vision of his viewers.

' He worked in a variety of media, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, film, and music. He founded Interview Magazine and was the author of numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. Andy Warhol is also notable as a gay man who lived openly as such before the gay liberation movement. His studio, The Factory, was a famous gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons.'

Here are some of his portraits:

Edie Sedgwick (Andy Warhol's muse)... If you haven't seen Factory Girl, go and rent it... TONIGHT!

Monsieur Warhol.

One of his more famous works is that of the typical 'Campbells Canned Beans'. He took the most common household product (OBVIOSO IN AMERICA) and turned it into a phenomenon.

The original bottle

Silk screening is a beautiful technique that I wish to explore in the near future.

This is titled 'Eight Elvises' and was his highest sale of $100 000 000 (SO MANY ZEROS)

silk-screen also silk·screen (n.)

1. A stencil method of printmaking in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface. Also called screen-printing, silk-screen process.

2. A print made by this method.

I can see why this was controversial...

'Chelsea Girls is a 1966 experimental underground film directed by Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey. The film was Warhol's first major commercial success after a long line of avant-garde art films (both feature length and short). It was shot at the Hotel Chelsea and other locations in New York City, and follows the lives of several of the young women who live there, and stars many of Warhol's superstars. It is presented in a split screen, accompanied by alternating soundtracks attached to each scene and an alternation between black-and-white and color photography. The original cut runs at just over three hours long.'

She would have been nothing if it weren't for this man. Marilyn Monroe's sex status increased 10-fold after Warhol started producing images of the icon... Over-populating the public with her most famous face.

Classic print of Mrs Jackie O. Kennedy. It is surprising to see such an image as the lady was against presenting herself as a public icon. She refused all interviews and did not give up her disbelief in fame from the time she stepped onto the scene, to the time she passed on.

'15 minutes of fame'... A phrase coined by Andy Warhol.... Clearly THE MAN MEANT BUSINESS!

This man was a true icon and his work will continue to influence our lives from then on forth.

Bisous tous les jours,

Queen Ipel of the *Universe*/GlassTableGirl x

P.S. Sex is more exciting on the screen and between the pages, than between the sheets.

-Andy Warhol

For more on Andy Warhol visit http://www.warholfoundation.org

The Andy Warhol Foundation

Est. 1987.