Andy Warhol The Soup-er Pop Artist

Early Life Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928 Natural artist who was encouraged by his art talented mother Suffered from St. Vitus’ dance, a chorea that affects the nervous system causing the sufferer to shake uncontrollably Became paler and developed large, pink blotches on his skin Missed much of elementary school and stayed home to rest, color, and read comic books and movie magazines

Education Took art classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art at suggestion of his teachers Although his family never had extra money, Andy’s father managed to send Andy to art college after Andy finished high school. Graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949 Andy’s College

Blotted-Line Discovery During his college years, Andy discovered how to get the lines in his drawings an irregular look. Andy would draw something in pencil and outline it in ink, then he would stamp the wet inked image onto a blank piece of paper. Sometimes he would color the picture with water color.

More Blotted-line Art

Early Career Moved to New York City with little money Tried to find employment at advertising agencies and magazine publishers Got his first job illustrating shoes for a story about in a magazine Illustrated a large ad campaign for a large New York shoe company His original technique with blotted-lines and bright colors gave Andy a rush of job opportunities.

He really liked shoes.

Fortune! Got wealthy enough to afford a fancy apartment which he spared with his mother Andy’s jobs included: magazine illustrations, department store window paintings, book and record covers, and greeting card design So busy that Andy’s friends and mother helped him on projects

Then Fame! Andy’s dreams included two parts: fame and fortune. Next mission was to become world famous. His paintings of superheroes and household products were going unnoticed. After paying a friend $50 for a suggestion, Andy’s friend told him he should paint money and everyday items like soup. Often asked other people for suggestions

Then Fame! (cont.) Andy took the idea to the extreme and invented Pop Art, which was called so because it featured popular things. The paintings caught on and Andy became busier than ever. Andy even opened the Factory, which was a large art studio where Andy, his friends, his mother, and hired assistants helped him with the projects. Andy was known for giving his assistants vague instructions to test their creativity. Selfie!

Art Styles Pop Art

Definition: art based on modern popular culture the mass media, esp. as a critical or ironic comment on traditional fine art values Compared to recurring T.V. commercials or news stories Bright coloring on everyday things Wide variety of subject matter

More Pop Art!

Movies! Andy’s work also included movies that were considered part of the Pop Art wave. Sleep: six hours of watching a man Empire: view of the Empire state building from the same angles for eight hours Eat: forty-five minutes of a man eating a mushroom Believe or not, people actually saw the movies, and the movies are seen as part of art and film history.

Themes and Legacy Andy’s work was direct yet interesting. He used little changes to everything objects to make them pop art. Throughout his life, Andy was constantly in the spotlight and was one of the most famous artists ever. Considered an art superstar Died in 1987 as a wealthy and famous artist like he had always wanted

Famous Works Marilyn

Campbell’s Soup

Superman

Flip Flops

Your Mission Andy Warhol was known for taking many pictures of the same image and coloring each image differently, then displaying them side by side. You will get printouts of the same pictures to color each different. Try to be different from your neighbors