Art Masterpiece: 100 Cans by Andy Warhol

Oil on canvas 72 x 52 inches (182.9 x 132.1 cm) Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery

Keywords: Pop Art, Repetition, Complimentary Colors Activity: 100 Can Collective Class Mural Grade: 5th – 6th

Meet the Artist

• Born Andrew Warhol in 1928 near Pittsburgh, Pa. to Slovak immigrants. His father died in a construction accident when Andy was 13 years old. • He is known as an American painter, film-maker, publisher and major figure in the pop art movement. • Warhol was a sickly child, his mom would give him a Hershey bar for every coloring book page he finished. He excelled in art and won a scholarship to college. • After college, he moved to New York City and became a magazine illustrator – became known for his drawings of shoes. His mother lived with him – they had no hot water, the bathtub was in the kitchen and had up to 20 cats living with them. Warhol ate tomato soup every day for lunch.

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece • In the 1960’s, he started to make paintings of famous American products such as soup cans, coke bottles, dollar signs & celebrity portraits. He became known as the Prince of Pop – he brought art to the masses by making art out of daily life. • Warhol began to use a photographic silk-screen process to produce paintings and prints. The technique appealed to him because of the potential for repeating clean, hard-edged shapes with bright colors. • Andy wanted to remove the difference between fine art and the commercial arts used for magazine illustrations, comic books, record albums or ad campaigns. His philosophy was well captured in his quote: “When you think about it, department stores are kind of like museums”. • Warhol also made over 60 films and wrote several books. He created the fashion magazine, “Interview” which is still published today. • Described by friends as a “work-aholic” he knew he could achieve the American dream only by hard work. • Throughout his life, Warhol held a notorious celebrity status, enhanced by his self-promotion. After an assassination attempt in 1968 the pop artist made a radical turn in his process of making art. The philosopher of art mass production now spent most of his time making individual portraits of rich and affluent people like Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson or Brigitte Bardot. • Warhol died suddenly in 1987 leaving no family of his own. His estate, worth millions of dollars was directed toward the establishment of an endowment fund for the arts. • The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa. Is the largest American Art Museum dedicated to a single artist – there are more then 4,000 works by Warhol himself displayed.

Background of the Print:

100 Cans was painted by hand, assisted by stencils. A close look reveals the fact that the cans are not identical, nor are they evenly spaced. The bottom row is cut off, suggesting that they continue beyond the confines of the canvas, which leads to another aspect of the work—Warhol’s interest in machine-like processes such as mass production. Mass production is impersonal, and America was becoming more and more depersonalized. But mass production is also efficient, and Warhol admired that efficiency. He even said in 1962, "I want everybody to think alike. . . . I think everybody should be a machine."

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece

DEFINITIONS:

POP ART: a major art movement of the 20th century in the United States that uses elements of popular culture, magazines, movies, music, bottles, cans (everyday objects seen in a NEW WAY)

REPETITION: Is created when an object, shape, space, light, direction lines, face, etc. are used over and over again in a pleasing way.

Complimentary Colors are colors found directly across from each other on the color wheel. They are used in art to make color “pop” or stand out. They appear more vibrant when seen next to each other. This attracts people to look at the artwork. Warhol was very successful at this technique.

Discussion Questions:

What do you see in this painting? (Rows of soup cans.)

How are today’s cans different from Warhol’s painted cans in 1962? How are they the same?

Do you think he liked soup? (Warhol ate tomato soup every day for 20 years)

Is this painting symmetrical or asymmetrical? (Symmetrical – same on both sides)

This design style is called REPETITION - a design that is used over and over again, repeated. How many cans are there???? (100)

What colors are in the painting? Are they warm or cool colors ? (warm)

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece ****EXPLAIN Complimentary colors by using the color wheel and ask the students to give you examples of various combinations of complimentary colors that Warhol could have used to make his Campbell’s soup label “pop”. ( see definition above)

Why do you suppose Warhol did not use complimentary colors for his work? (he wanted it to be recognized as the original Campbell Soup label)

How many people think Warhol should have been more adventuresome with color choice?

In 2012 the Campbell soup company marked the 50th Anniversary of Andy Warhol’s 1962 iconic work of the Campbell’s Soup Cans by redesigning the traditional soup label can into a more colorful combination of color . (Show photo of these cans under the doc-camera. See enlarged images attached.)

Today we will recreate the soup can label and in honor of Any Warhol make them “pop” off the shelf.

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece Activity: SOUP CAN MURAL

Materials: Soup Can template printed on white card stock - 1/student. Colored markers, black permanent markers for outlining, pencils.

A few traditional Campbell soup cans and/or a real label for students to study, a Color Wheel. Masking tape for mounting.

A length of butcher paper in black or white to build a class display. ( approx. 2 yards long/class)

1. Have the students imagine that they work for the Campbell’s Soup Company and they have been asked to create a new flavor of soup. 2. Hand-out Soup can template. 3. Preparing the Label: Using the doc-camera project the image of a real label onto classroom screen. Have students take a close look at the label. a. What type of lettering did the artist use? The word Campbell’s is scripted, flowing, cursive, while the rest of the words are printed out in block lettering. b. NEXT, have students look at the difference in the size of words. Campbell’s is largest. CONDENSED is in all capital letters but is the smallest in size/height. These were decisions made to create both an attractive and readable product label. Companies hire people to do their package designs. Graphic Designers. 4. Tell students they will make their own label using the same design of lettering. Stress NEATNESS! 5. In pencil have them write out Campbell’s ( or they can use their own LAST name) in script form across the top . 6. At the bottom of the can print out the word SOUP. Keep a label displayed on the screen for students to copy for style and size. 7. Next, they will add the name of their original flavor of soup in any style lettering they choose. (exp: blue eyed snake, cotton candy, gym sock) 8. LOGO / Design:

Students will design a simple logo to go along with their type of soup and draw it in the circle area on the can. Encourage them to use their imagination with their kind of soup. (example: bubble gum soup – they could draw a piece of bubble gum). Keep it simple.

9. Have students use the color wheel to help them determine two complimentary colors to color in their label. Make it “POP”! 10. Outline the can and lettering with black markers. 11. Students can add their name to their label.

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece 12. Once finished students can take their label and tape it side by side onto the large piece of butcher paper to create a large class version of Warhol’s painting. ( Vertical format) 13. Display in a visible area for all to admire!

See Sample below.

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece

***Show this image using the Doc-camera. Student projects should resemble these cans. Bright and colorful complimentary colors that pop off the shelf!

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece

This sample does not show the step of using complimentary colors but is good representation of how each student will each build their own soup label. J

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece

Brief info about the artist: Born Andrew Warhol in 1928 near Pittsburgh, Pa. to Slovak immigrants. He is known as an American painter, film-maker, publisher and major figure in the pop art movement.

The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa. Is the largest American Art Museum dedicated to a single artist – there are more than 4,000 works by Warhol himself displayed.

Brief info about the project: Students created their own “pop-art” soup labels in honor of Andy Warhol who ate tomato soup every day.

Brief info about the artist: Born Andrew Warhol in 1928 near Pittsburgh, Pa. to Slovak immigrants. He is known as an American painter, film-maker, publisher and major figure in the pop art movement.

The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa. Is the largest American Art Museum dedicated to a single artist – there are more than 4,000 works by Warhol himself displayed.

Brief info about the project: Students created their own “pop-art” soup labels in honor of Andy Warhol who ate tomato soup every day.

Chandler Unified School District Art Masterpiece