Andy Warhol Father Of Pop Essay Research

Andy Warhol: Father Of Pop? Essay, Research Paper

Andy Warhol: The Father of Pop Art

Andy Warhol has spewed forth in many examples of the modern style that is known as “Pop art,” in various mediums -spanning from silkscreen to a cable network. Not only has Warhol greatly contributed to this revolutionary style, but also in many ways, he has created it. Andy Warhol’s style was certainly part of the select first that were even labeled as “Pop.” Warhol had also used the media, which captured his eccentricities, to his advantage and that aided in projecting Pop art to the public. Warhol’s timing had been perfect in introducing Pop. Warhol was even separated from the other Pop artists who were his peers because he was clearly doing different things with his subject matter. His continued success made Warhol the most recognizable Pop artist. That status combined with the fact that his ascendancy was as one of the first Pop artists even to be taken seriously, is what makes Andy Warhol the creator of the Pop genre Warhol solely the most influential person in it, as well.

Andy Warhol produced many Pop creations during his reign. Pop art is a style, which many artists were experimenting with during the fifties and names such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenberg began hanging their artistic works in galleries during the 1960’s. This style is defined as “a noun that is a realistic art style, especially in painting and sculpture using techniques and popular subjects adapted from commercial art and the mass communications media, such as comic strips, posters, etc.”

(Guralink, 1970-83, 1108) Pop art is not satirical, but forces us to look at everyday objects with renewed reverences; it may even only have meaning because it is not intended to make a statement. (Gablik, Russell; 1969, 22, 119) All of the art Andy Warhol sold or displayed was strictly “Pop.” He always displayed familiar items in a fairly simple matter; there was interest but the objects were so familiar, that when referred to as art, people were forced to see what they usually take for granted. Warhol’s prints and drawings embodied the meaning of Pop art.

Andy Warhol definitely had competitors in his realm of the art community. In fact, even though Warhol was the greatest figure in the Pop genre, he was not the first to make pieces of their nature. “Manifestations of Pop art have appeared throughout the world in France, Italy, Germany, and Japan, but it was not possible on this occasion to deal with it all.” (Gablik, Russell; 1969, 9) During Warhol’s time, however, Roy Lichtenstein was perhaps the man with whom Warhol had the most competition with, if such a thing existed in their relationship at all. Lichtenstein, although not as potently as Warhol, is still a fairly well known name to people who do not even study art in depth. Lichtenstein was a recognizable Pop artist of the sixties as well, yet was noticeably different from Warhol in technique. “While Roy Lichtenstein is now recognized as a refined, ironic, serious manipulator of found images, Warhol has refused to redeem the mundane side of his art.” (Ratcliff, 1983, 8) Because he displayed many of his objects in a more disturbing manner, “?Warhol looked more and more like it’s (Pop) leading

strategist.” (Ratcliff, 1983, 7) Despite the many others that were quickly falling into the category of Pop art, Warhol managed to produce the most sought after images, if even for their infamy. Then instead of many styles befitting to Pop, the label Pop Art began expanding to fit the many creations that were otherwise undefined, but had obviously followed Warhol’s lead in style. The newer Pop artists seemed so reflective of Warhol. He himself was quoted as saying, “These kids were doing what we had been doing years ago.” Though these others were dubbed as Pop artists too, it was evident that Warhol had typified the style, and was the first to succeed. All of the artists that wanted to be know as “Pop” were influenced by Warhol’s popular displays so that he had been showered in such publicity, his “eccentricities” had faded to novelties and images (not to be misinterpreted as the subject matter) he had introduced are still familiar today. Warhol had surpassed his rivals. “Warhol has been the most skillful exploiter of the media in the whole of the art world that I ever remember.” (Carroll, Lucie-Smith, 1973, 156) Warhol, in using publicity in an intelligent manner, had manipulated it to his advantage, and because of this, people became aware of Warhol and what he was doing to the standards in art. This skillful manipulation of the publicity gave Warhol the power he needed to continue his entreprenuership of his style in art, for now people were awaiting his next move. “[He was] the coolest of the Pop iconographers.” (Kramer, 1973, 538) Certainly

critics were recognizing Warhol as the leader of Pop art, and he was even gaining

attribution with more regular people in the mid-sixties, for his work was being exhibited at galleries presiding all around Manhattan. One of the reasons for Andy Warhol’s popularity is because he used the media to propel himself above the others.

Another reason Warhol was the first Pop artist whose career was truly of significance was because of his inventive style. The first few to be christened as “Pop” were oddly experimenting with very similar ideas, however, Warhol’s were