How Andy Warhol Made Pop Art Visible To The Public

Jenna Brabazon

Professor Mark Edwards

Advanced Seminar 301 D

12/12/19 Art has evolved throughout history, from prehistoric cave paintings such as the Cave of

Altamira in Spain, to contemporary art that is made today. Due to progressing technology, art has recently become mass produced and available through mass media. Andy Warhol was an artist who heavily influenced the art movement known as Pop Art. He was a pioneer in this movement as he created mass produced art during the 20th century. Andy Warhol made Pop Art visible to the public and promoted his art by using media to critique pop culture.

Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola, was born in 1928 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

(tate.org.uk) Warhol grew up in a Czechoslovakian household with a father who was often absent in his childhood, as he stated in his book The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. (Warhol, 21) He had very few friends as a child which contributed to many of his mental disorders, but nonetheless became increasingly popular as he grew older. (Warhol, 21) “ I decided to go for psychiatric treatment, as so many people I knew were doing. I felt that I should define some of my own problems.” (Warhol, 21) His popularity grew as he immersed himself more in the New York cultural scene after he graduated from college. (22) He attended “Carnegie Institute of

Technology from 1945 to 1949.”(National Gallery of Art) He began immersing himself more in art as he “earned jobs with Vogue Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar’s fashion magazines.” (Warhol,

22) Much of Warhol’s art reflected consumer culture and pop culture during the 1950’s and 60’s.

“His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture.” (tate.org.uk)

Warhol was one of the first artists to popularize a technique called silk screening. (Salle,

1) Silk screening is a process in which images and photographs are able to be reproduced and copied as a means of mass production. (Salle, 1) “When ink is forced through the silk using a rubber squeegee, the photographic image, reconstituted by the tiny dots, appears on the printed surface—in Warhol’s case, the canvas.” (Salle, 1) In a Sotheby’s article, Warhol explains how he wanted his art to be machine- like. (Kamholz, Andy Warhol and His Process) "The reason I'm painting this way is that I want to be a machine, and I feel that whatever I do and do machine-like is what I want to do." (Kamholz, Andy Warhol and His Process) Warhol used this process to create the majority of his works, such as the famous Campbell’s Soup Cans, that were replicated almost identically onto a canvas. His work studio, where he created his art, was called

The Factory due to his ability to reproduce art with the use of machines. “The tongue-in-cheek studio name referred both to Warhol's prolific production of silk-screened paintings and his use of assistants.” (Young, Warhol, Andy)

Walter Benjamin’s article, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, explains the evolution and importance of mechanical reproduction. In Benjamin’s article, he explains how the reproduction of images and writing have been available with the use of man- made objects. “In principle a work of art has always been reproducible. Man-made artifacts could always be imitated by men” (Benjamin, I) However, with the evolution of mechanical reproduction, it has positively influenced the art by making it easier to copy images in a quicker and more efficient way. “Mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however, represents something new. Historically, it advanced intermittently and in leaps at long intervals, but with accelerated intensity.” (Benjamin, I) While Warhol’s use of this concept helped popularize silk screening, it also made his art along with the rest of the art world much easier to reproduce, especially in his preferred field of pop art. Art has increasingly become more popular among the masses. “The greatly increased mass of participants has produced a change in the mode of participation.” (Benjamin, XV) The masses enjoy art more because due to mechanical reproduction, there is a loss in the aura, “the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be.” (Benjamin, III) Mechanical reproduction allows art to be reproduced which decreases the authenticity of the artwork.

Warhol’s work revolves solely around reproduction, meaning the “aura” of his work is seemingly nonexistent. “For the first time ever, images of art have become ephemeral, ubiquitous, insubstantial, available, valueless, free.” (Berger, 32) By using real life subjects as his art themes, you could argue that all of his art that he copies is not original. “The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity.” (Benjamin, II)

Arthur Berger’s deep dive into sociological analysis can be related to much of Warhol’s work. Warhol often created art that revolved around themes such as sex and gender, lifestyle, and values. Andy Warhol has created many projects revolving around Marilyn Monroe, an extremely influential icon of the twentieth century. “‘Monroe conforms to, and is part of the construction of what constitutes desirability in women.” (Dyer, Heavenly Bodies: Film Stars and

Society, 42) Warhol purely depicts Monroe as a sex icon, as stated in Ways of Seeing. “[Mrs

Siddons] is not purely the creature of others’ envy- which is how, for example, Andy Warhol presents Marilyn Monroe.” (Berger 147) This desire for women relates to “certain character traits, such as vulnerability, openness, sexual liberality and, I would risk, dumbness.” (Adams,

Idol Curiosity, 91) However, this contributes to sexism and the sexualization of women. “Many media critics argue that the mass media are sexist and have consistently assigned women to destructive roles.” (Berger, 112) However, her beauty and popularity may have contributed to much of Warhol’s success as well as give her more exposure in society.

Marilyn Monroe(1967) and Marilyn Diptych(1962) showcase Marilyn with bright colors reprinted multiple times on canvases. Marilyn Monroe was used to exemplify the image of beauty in society during this time. In addition, by using an icon who is well known and emits wealth and glamour, it is also speaking to the issue of socioeconomic class and race. “Dyer traces this connection to racist and imperialist fictions and histories in which ‘the white woman is offered as the most highly prized possession, and the envy of all other races’.” (Adams, Idol

Curiosity) Monroe is often regarded as beautiful due to her glamorous outward body image and the ideal image that contributed to society’s beauty standards of the time. During this time,

Monroe would be regarded as upper class as she was obviously wealthy, had a successful career, and glamorous lifestyle. “Socioeconomic class is determined by a number of components, including education, income and occupation, and different social classes have different lifestyles, ways of raising children, and values.” (Berger, 103)

In addition to creating art that commented on sociological aspects of society, much of his work can be related to semiotics. Since his art is much related to consumer culture, it correlates with material culture, signs and advertising, and brands. One of Warhol’s most well-known projects, the Campbell’s Soup Cans, created in 1962, contributes to the idea of materialism and consumer culture. This project pays attention to the brand and the object itself. The identity of the Soup Cans revolve around the notion of consumers buying products abundantly in society. “It allows consumers to identify what products they desire to purchase (or not). (Berger 11) By using brand name products, it emphasizes the idea of how consumer culture revolves around the belief that status and security are based on the products we use. “From a semiotic perspective, brands are signifiers that we use to help define ourselves to others and, we can say that we are the brands we assemble to forge a public identity.”(Berger 11) We allow brands and products to shape a specific image of ourselves to fit societal standards.

Warhol promotes objects in society, not with intent of advertising, but rather an outcome of his art. Similar to Campbell's Soup Cans, he created other works of art such as Brillo Boxes

(1964) and Green Coca- Cola Bottles (1962). “Branding has now become a way in which companies get people to purchase their products.” (Berger 10) Although Warhol was not commissioned to create art regarding these products, the exposure the works received essentially gave the companies free advertising. “The debate about how art could concern itself with something so everyday, and seem to mimic commercial mass production, ensured that the paintings received plenty of attention.” (Dean, The Story of Andy Warhol’s 'Campbell’s Soup

Cans')

In regards to the semiological theory of advertising, Warhol’s images act as publicity images, as termed by John Berger in Ways of Seeing. “It proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more.” (Berger, 131) Publicity promotes consumer culture and materialism and convinces consumers to spend more money. “Publicity is effective because it feeds upon the real. Clothes, food, cars, cosmetics, baths, sunshine are real things to be enjoyed in themselves.”(Berger, 132) Materialism brings satisfaction to consumers which is also why publicity is often successful. Warhol’s works of the Campbell’s Soup Cans and Brillo Boxes acted as publicity images in our consumer culture. It is interesting to note that still today, Campbell’s is still profiting off Warhol’s work. In

2002, Campbell’s released a commercial with three people eating Campbell’s Tomato Soup, in front of Warhol’s art. (Youtube, Campbell's Tomato Soup Art Gallery 2000s Commercial 2002)

Also, in 2012, Campbell’s released limited edition soup cans designed after Warhol’s work to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Soup Can exhibit. “This week, 1.2 million limited-edition cans of condensed tomato soup with labels inspired by his Pop art go on sale. The specially designed Campbell's soup cans pay tribute to his lively color palette, using orange, blue, pink and teal to spruce up the familiar design.” (Bennett, Andy Warhol's '15 minutes' of fame are not up yet) It can be concluded that companies are still profiting off of Warhol’s artwork still today.

Andy Warhol popularized the concept of Silk Screening during the Pop Art era which paved the way for the future of the mechanical and technological reproduction of art. Warhol’s themes revolved heavily around consumer culture, public icons, and brands which ultimately led to the publicization of many consumer goods. His popularity grew due to the idea that authenticity, or aura, in his work has decreased due to the concept of reproduction that surrounds his work. Warhol was successful in promoting his art and making it visible to the public by effectively promoting consumerism and iconography with the use of mechanical reproduction. Academic Sources

1. Warhol, Andy, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1975 2. Adams, Ruth, Idol Curiosity: Andy Warhol and the Art of Secular Iconography, The Continuum Publishing Group Ltd 2004 https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=67222ff0-a93f-4cd0-ac cc-e7160fe5785a%40sessionmgr4008

3. Salle, David, The Star of the Silken Screen, New York Review of Books, Inc, https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=76ffcf07-a0e6-4c33-97 80-cf1b81381dfb%40sdc-v-sessmgr02

4. Young, Tara Reddy. "Warhol, Andy." Encyclopedia of American Studies, edited by Simon Bronner, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1st edition, 2018. Credo Reference, Accessed 10 Dec. 2019 https://search.credoreference.com/content/topic/warhol_andy_1928_1987?institutionId=4 247

Web/ Alternative Sources

1. Tate. “Andy Warhol 1928-1987.” Tate, Accessed December 3 2019 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121- 2. Kamholz, Roger, Andy and His Process, Sotheby’s, Nov 10, 2013 https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/andy-warhol-and-his-process 3. Richard Dyer, Heavenly Bodies: Film Stars and Society (Basingstoke: Macmillan Press, 1986), p. 42. 4. Dean, Martin, The Story of Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans, Sotheby’s, March 13, 2018 https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-story-of-andy-warhols-campbells-soup-cans 5. National Gallery of Art, Andy Warhol, 2019 https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1966.html 6. Rewind Me, Campbell's Tomato Soup Art Gallery 2000s Commercial (2002), YouTube.com, Jul 11, 2018 https://youtu.be/DErT-gGdcgc 7. Katherine Dorsett Bennett, Andy Warhol's '15 minutes' of Fame Are Not Up Yet, CNN, Wed September 5, 2012 Class Resources 1. Benjamin, Walter, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Schocken/Random House, ed. by Hannah Arendt, 2005, I, II, III, XV 2. Berger, Arthur Asa, “Sociological Analysis” Media Analysis Techniques, 5th ed., SAGE Publications, 2014. Pages 102, 112 3. Berger, Arthur Asa, “Semiotic Analysis” Media Analysis Techniques, 5th ed., SAGE Publications, 2014. Pages 10, 11, 32 4. Berger, J, Bloomberg, S, Fox, C, Dibb, M, Hollis, R, Ways of Seeing: British Broadcasting Corporation, Penguin Books 1972., Pages 131, 141

Images Referenced 1. Warhol, Andy, Marilyn Monroe, 1967 2. Warhol, Andy, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962 3. Warhol, Andy, Marilyn Diptych, 1962 4. Warhol, Andy, Green Coca Cola Bottles, 1962 5. Warhol, Andy, Brillo Box, 1964