One of the leading figures in pop art, Andy Warhol, whose works explore the relationship between art, advertisements and celebrity culture during the 1960s, was born on August 6, 1928.
While he initially pursued a successful career as a commercial illustrator, his exhibitions later on began to earn him recognition as an influential and controversial artist. Notably, his New York studio, The Factory, became a well-known meeting place for people from different walks of life including intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Hollywood celebrities among others.
While the artist himself passed away on February 22, 1987, he remains relevant in popular memory thanks to the various books, artworks and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, which houses an extensive permanent collection of art and archives.
On his 91st birth anniversary, here's looking at 6 of his most famed artworks that one must see:
Campbell's Soup Cans (1961):
It consists of thirty-two canvases, with each consisting of a painting of a Campbell's Soup can—one of each of the canned soup varieties the company offered at the time. In fact, the images reliance on themes from popular culture helped usher in pop art as a major movement.
Marilyn Diptych (1962)
A silkscreen painting by the artist depicting Marilyn Monroe, the piece is one of the artist's most noted works and is in the collection of the Tate. The work was completed during the weeks after Marilyn Monroe's death in August 1962 and the fifty images of the actress are all based on a single publicity photograph from the film Niagara (1953).
Coca Cola (3) (1962)
Often considered to be a symbol of modern mass consumerism, Warhol created several works around the Coke bottle. Coca Cola (3), unlike his later silkscreens is a hand painted work which was sold for USD 57.2 million, making it one of Warhol's most expensive paintings ever sold.
Eight Elvises (1963)
The 12 foot long painting of eight identical, overlapping images of Elvis Presley in a cowboy attire, it was not mass produced like many of Warhol's other works. In fact it was sold for USD 100 million and remains one of the most expensive paintings ever sold and is considered to be one of his masterpieces.
Mao (1973)
Warhol started creating images of Mao the year US President Richard Nixon made his firts visit to China. Warhol used strong, vivid brushstrokes with garish colours to recreate Mao's face and is often considered to be one of his more painterly works.
Mickey Mouse (1981)
During the 1980s, Warhol created the Myths-series which contained a series of portraits of 10 fictional characters taken from popular culture. All the portraits were inlaid with diamond dust which made them shine with a wavering light. Disney's Mickey Mouse was one of the characters Warhol picked which became extremely popular.
Follow News18 Lifestyle for more
Comments
0 comment