Andy Warhol Activity Guide Whitney
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WHITNEY ANDY WARHOL ACTIVITY GUIDE WELCOME “I think an artist is anybody who does something well, like if you cook well.” —Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was one of the most important American artists of the twentieth century. He became famous for making art about popular culture—everything from Coke bottles and soup cans to movie stars. When he first started working, most people thought art had to be super serious to be important. Warhol believed that art can be about almost anything and still give you big ideas. Join Us Visit the Museum on Saturdays and Sundays for Open This Whitney Kids activity guide is designed to Studio, our drop-in artmaking workshops for families introduce you to Warhol’s art, and we hope it will with kids of all ages. Check out whitney. org/Families inspire the artist in you too! Use this guide to explore for a full list of our Family Programs. the exhibition and experiment with your own ideas. Use your imagination to draw what you had for lunch SOUP SOUP yesterday, in four different ways. SOUP FLOOR 5 Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962 At first glance, all of these soup cans might appear to be the same, but look closely. Can you spot any differences? Clue: in1962 , Campbell’s produced thirty- two varieties of soup and Warhol painted each can by hand, using a projector, stencils, and stamps. He said, “. I used to have the same lunch [Campbell’s soup] every day, for twenty years, I guess, the same thing over and over again.” Would you eat the same lunch every day? Why or why not? Design a shoe for someone you admire. Think about WHOSE SHOES? the type of shoe and details that could represent your FLOOR 5 subject’s personality. Truman Capote, c. 1956 In the 1950s, Warhol drew many shoes and made “shoe portraits” of famous people he admired, such as the writer Truman Capote. In his shoe portraits, Warhol included details that reminded him of that person. He used ink and a blotted line technique for these drawings. While the ink was still wet, he pressed another sheet of paper on top of it, creating an effect that looked printed and could be easily reproduced. Check out Warhol’s inkblot technique in some of the shoe drawings in this gallery. What do you think happened to Superman just before this scene and just after? Add to Warhol’s comic strip SUPERMAN by creating your own “before” and “after” drawings. FLOOR 5 Include words and images. Before Superman, 1961 When Warhol was a kid, he liked to trace comic strips. Here he painted Superman, one of the most famous American comic book superheroes. Superman is flying over clouds of smoke to put out a forest fire (PUFF!) by blowing on it. Look at Superman’s thought bubble. Even though Warhol painted over some of the words, the image tells the story. After If an artist made a portrait of you, what would you want MAKING it to look like? Ask someone you’re with to sketch your FACES portrait, four times. Try out some of Scull’s poses. FLOOR 5 Ethel Scull 36 Times, 1963 Warhol made this painting of art collector Ethel Scull by taking her to a photo booth in Times Square, New York, where she posed in front of the camera with different gestures and expressions. Warhol used photo-silkscreen printing to transfer the photographs onto canvas, wiping ink across a mesh screen onto the surface of the painting. Silkscreen is often used to print mass-produced products like labels and T-shirts. Which images can you find that appear more than once? How many different expressions can you see? Draw your own news event! Include a headline and a MANY MAOS picture of someone or something you’ve heard about FLOOR 5 in the news. Add details from your imagination. Mao, 1972 Warhol started this series of Mao paintings, drawings, prints, and wallpaper shortly after President Richard Nixon’s visit to the People’s Republic of China in February 1972. This was a big news event. Mao Tse- Tung founded and led the People’s Republic of China as the chairman of the Communist Party from 1949 until 1976 and his picture was one of the most reproduced images in the world. Notice how Warhol added his own details to this image of Mao—such as his red cheeks and lips, and blue eye makeup! Make a drawing with someone in your family. Take turns! COLLABORATION Add words, symbols, and pictures that represent you FLOOR 5 and your collaborator. Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Third Eye, 1985 In the 1980s, Warhol often collaborated with other artists. He produced this painting with Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988). Warhol was inspired by Basquiat’s creativity and youth, and Basquiat admired the older artist. Warhol’s contributions to these collaborative works were often hand-painted headlines, brand names, and advertisements. In contrast, Basquiat used his trademark graffiti style. Which parts of this painting do you think each artist worked on? How can you tell? Draw a self-portrait and add something unusual to your SERIOUS SELFIE image, such as a wig, sunglasses, or a different detail. FLOOR 5 How will you change your appearance? Self-Portrait, 1986 Warhol made a lot of selfies before there were smartphones! This is one in a series of self-portraits that he made in different colors on a black background. By this time, late in his career, Warhol had become a celebrity in his own right. Unlike previous self-portraits where he included his neck and shoulders, this shows just his head close-up, occupying the whole canvas. He’s wearing a wacky wig of silver hair that he nicknamed the “fright wig.” Dare to stare at this portrait for a while. What does it look like to you? Ask the people you’re with what they think this inkblot INKBLOT TEST looks like. Write their answers below. FLOOR 5 1 2 3 4 5 Rorschach, 1984 This painting is part of a series based on the “inkblot” test invented by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach to understand a patient’s personality and 6 thought processes. Warhol created his own inkblots. First he painted one side of the canvas, then he folded it lengthwise while it was still wet to print the other half of the image. What does the inkblot look like to you? Did everyone see the same thing or something different? Use the shapes from nature below or invent your own to FLOWER make a sketch. Layer the shapes on top of one another POWER to create your composition. FLOOR 5 Flowers, 1964 Warhol’s flower paintings are based on a photograph of four hibiscus blossoms that he saw in a magazine. For his version, he changed the position and direction of two of the flowers and then had the image made into silkscreens that he could print over and over again. Warhol experimented with color, scale, and composition in this series. Take a moment to look around the gallery. Which flower painting do you like best? Why? PUNCHLINE Draw your favorite athlete (or yourself) in action! FLOOR 1 Muhammad Ali, 1977 Go to the gallery on Floor 1. Warhol photographed the boxer and activist Muhammad Ali for his Athletes series. Warhol wasn’t that familiar with sports figures, but he knew an awesome celebrity when he met one. He said, “I really got to love the athletes because they are the really big stars.” When they first met in1977 , Ali was the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion. Notice how Ali’s fists are poised for a punch. How would you describe the expression on his face? KEEP DRAWING CREDITS Andy Warhol (1928–1987), Campbell’s Soup Andy Warhol (1928–1987) and Jean-Michel Cans, 1962. Casein, acrylic, and graphite on Basquiat (1960–1988), Third Eye, 1985. Acrylic canvas, thirty-two panels: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 on canvas, 81 1/8 x 128 3/8 in. (206 x 326 cm). cm) each. The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Bischofberger Collection, Männedorf-Zurich, partial gift of Irving Blum, additional funding Switzerland. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for provided by Nelson A. Rockefeller Bequest, gift the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden, Abby New York. © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Aldrich Rockefeller Fund, gift of Nina and Gordon Licensed by Artestar, New York. Bunshaft in honor of Henry Moore, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, Philip Johnson Andy Warhol (1928–1987), Self-Portrait, 1986. Fund, Frances R. Keech Bequest, gift of Mrs. Bliss Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, 106 x Parkinson, and Florence B. Wesley Bequest 106 in. (269.3 x 269.3 cm). Solomon R. (all by exchange). © The Andy Warhol Foundation Guggenheim Museum, New York; gift, Anne and for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society Anthony d’Offay in honor of Thomas Krens, (ARS), New York 1992, 92.4033. © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society Andy Warhol (1928–1987), Truman Capote, (ARS), New York c. 1956. Collaged metal leaf with ink on paper, 16 x 20 1/2 in. (40.6 x 52.1 cm). Collection of Andy Warhol (1928–1987), Rorschach, 1984. Edward De Luca. © The Andy Warhol Foundation Acrylic on canvas, 164 1/8 x 115 1/8 in. (416.9 x 292.4 for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; (ARS), New York purchase with funds from the Contemporary Painting and Sculpture Committee, the John I.