Virtual Exhibit

The theme I have chosen for my virtual exhibit is called “Pop Art”. Pop art emerged in the 1950s and expanded through the 1960s. This type of artwork utilizes aspects that are popular in culture; advertising, comics, mass market images, etc. [1] Lawrence Alloway in Architectural Digest, 1958 used the term “pop art” to “describe those paintings that celebrate post-war consumerism, defy the psychology of Abstract Expressionism, and worship the god of materialism”. [2] I have chosen 2 artists that have caught my eyes to share with you.

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was an American artist who is best known for his printmaking, painting, cinema, drawing, sculpting and so much more that contributed to the pop art movement.  Born in August 1928, he was the youngest of three children. When he was a young boy, he became very ill with a  nervous system disease that caused him to have involuntary movements of his extremities. While being bed-ridden, Warhol spent much of his time flipping through celebrity magazines and DC comic books, drawing and experiment with his own art potential. He later went on to study Pictorial Design at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, PA in 1949.  After finishing his degree, Warhol moved to New York where he was began to work for as a commercial artist for many big named corporations; Columbia Records, Glamour Magazine, Tiffany & Co., etc. [3] He went on to produce many famous pieces of work, appearing on TV shows, etc until he died from a post-operative cardiac arrhythmia in February 1987. [4]

The first piece I have selected from his collection is called Moonwalk. This is a 38 x 38 in screen print on Lenox Museum Board, created in 1987.  The screen print is made to look similar to a photograph of Buzz Aldrin on the moon standing next to the American flag in 1969. Warhol made two editions of this screen print, one pink and one yellow.  I love the colors Warhol used to portray an image so familiar to American culture. He celebrates an achievement in American culture and adds life to the image with the use of bright colors that pull you in. For me, the image feels very “trippy” in a sense. [5][6]

The second piece I have selected is called Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticeli, Birth of Venus, 1482). This 48 x 72in. acrylic and silkscreen ink painting was painted in 1984. I chose this piece because earlier in the semester I had researched this specific painting for one of the blogs and found Warhol’s take on it extremely interesting. In the original image, Venus looks more lifelike and Warhol did a great job making her seem “cartoon”. The use of lines to create her hair, emphasis her eyes, etc and the way he used colors is really eye catching without diminishing the original look on her face. [7]

The final piece I have selected is called Hamburger. This 50 x 66 in acrylic on linen painting was created between 1985-1986. I really liked this picture because it truly encompasses what pop art was. It looks similar to an advertisement for a fast food restaurant, like McDonald’s. The colors are similar to their advertising them and the details of the bun are cartoon-realistic. I researched a little more about this hamburger and I found an interesting video clip of Warhol eating a burger. It was seen as a “low-key art film” created for artistic purpose, though I don’t find it “artsy”.  You can view the video here: http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/pop-culture/article/how-andy-warhol-ate-it-was-complicated  [8] [9]

Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein was an American artist known for his work in the pop art movement as well. He was popular for painting and sculpting on the idea of making his works like that of a parody. Lichtenstein claimed his art was “industrial painting”. Lichtenstein went to school at Dwight School in New York, graduating in 1940 and then enrolled in classes at the Art Students League of New York.  After spending a few years in the army, Lichtenstein was discharged and he returned to a graduate program at Ohio State University, receiving his Master of Fine Arts degree. Lichtenstein’s work focused mainly on comic strips, bouncing between war and romances. His most recognizable trait is known as the “ben-day-dots”. These are a printing process that combines two or more different colored dots to create a third color. [10]

The first piece I chose is called Mermaid. This is an outdoor sculpture composed of concrete, steel, polyurethane, enamel, palm tree and water. It is 252 in x 288 in x 132 in in size. This structure is located at the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater. Created in 1979, this was his first large-scale sculpture and was commissioned by the Theater of the Performing Arts. I really like the clouds and water the he accompanies with the mermaid itself. He created it to be the outline of a mermaid but without being too realistic. True to form, this sculpture is very comic book-esque. The colors are different, mainly primary and not secondary but it works for this piece. [11]

The second piece I chose is Mural with Blue Brushstroke. This piece was created in 1986, standing at 68 feet and 32 feet wide, this piece is located in the atrium of the Equitable Tower in New York City. Lichtenstein uses his own previous works, as well as others, to rework in this mural. At the top is a girl holding a beach ball, which was featured in his painting Girl with Ball. I found this mural really interesting because it does not seem to have an obvious theme. Again, he uses mainly primary colors and his textures are very dotty. It has been said that the work is” the embodiment of commercialism shrouded in the aura of artistic fame” and I would have to agree. [12]

The final piece of my exhibit is called Bedroom at Arles. This painting was originally derived from Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 version of Bedroom at Arles. Painted with oils and magna on canvas  in 1992, this 320 cm x 420 cm painting was displayed in the East Building of the National Gallery of Art from October 2009 – May 2010. It is now displayed in the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection at Fitzhugh Farm. I love the acidic yellows and bright turquoise that Lichtenstein used to breath new life into this painting. He continues to use his signature Ben-Day dots on one of the walls to really bring the “pop art” feel into this piece. I read that Lichtenstein believed that his version compared to van Gogh’s version was humorous to him and that he believed van Gogh to be spontaneous, while he was very meticulous with his work. [13]

References

[1] Pop Art. Wikipedia. N.p. 11 November 2015. Web. 12 November 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_art

[2] Pioch, Nicolas. Pop Art. WebMuseum, Paris. 14 Oct 2002. Web. 12 November 2015. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/tl/20th/pop-art.html

[3] Andy Warhol Biography: Pop Artist and Cultural Icon. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. N.p. N.d. Web. 12 November 2015 http://www.warholfoundation.org/legacy/biography.html

[4] Andy Warhol. Wikipedia. N.p. 12 November 2015. Web. 12 November 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol

[5] Moonwalk, 1987. The Andy Warhol Museum. N.p. 2013. Web. 12 November 2015. http://www.warhol.org/ArtCollections.aspx?id=1574

[6] Andy Warhol, NASA, and the Making of “Moonwalk”. Portland Flag Association. SDM. 21 May 2015. Web. 12 November 2015. http://portlandflag.org/2015/05/21/moonwalk/

[7] Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482), 1984. The Andy Warhol Museum. N.p. 2013. Web. 12 November 2015. http://www.warhol.org/collection/art/work/1998-1-307/

[8] Sam Dean. How Andy Warhol Ate (It Was Complicated). Bon appetite. N.p. 9 July 2012. Web. 12 November 2015. http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/pop-culture/article/how-andy-warhol-ate-it-was-complicated

[9] Hamburger, 1985-1986. The Andy Warhol Museum. N.P. 2013. Web. 12 November 2015. http://www.warhol.org/collection/art/work/1998-1-3175/

[10] Roy Lichtenstein. Wikipedia. N.p. 11 November 2015. Web. 12 November 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Lichtenstein

[11] Mermaid (Roy Lichtenstein). Wikipedia. N.p. 9 July 2015. Web. 12 November 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid_(Roy_Lichtenstein)

[12] Mural with Blue Brushstroke. Wikipedia. N.p. 9 July 2015. Web. 12 November 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mural_with_Blue_Brushstroke

[13] Bedroom at Arles. Wikipedia. N.p. 24 September 2015. Web. 12 November 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/Bedroom_at_Arles