Exploring the Legacy of Andy Warhol: Iconic Graphic Artist

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Andy Warhol: Graphic Artist Andy Warhol was one of the most famous and successful graphic artists in the last century. His iconic paintings and prints are still remembered and noted today. If you see a brightly colored illustration of a celebrity, who do you think of? Andy Warhol, who was known for his portraits and product-based art work. Even looking at something as simple as a Campbell’s Soup can can trigger the thought of the 60’s artist. Andrew Warhola was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 6, 1928. His parents were Slovakian immigrants; his father a construction worker and his mother an embroiderer (biography.com). At the age of 8, Warhol was stricken with Chorea which left him bedridden for a few months. Here, this was where …show more content…

His friends who were also artists, and both gay, considered him to be very “swish”. The 50’s was a very good time for Andy Warhol. With his job as a commercial illustrator, he was able to balance his life with commercial work and avant garde pieces. And in this time, he was able to explore his sexuality, which inspired a lot of sketches, enough to fill book. Just sketches of the male body, either in explicit, or completely innocent poses. The 60’s was Warhol’s big boom in production and fame. In 1962, Warhol “debuted the concept of ‘pop-art’” (biography.com). Here is where he did his famous pieces like the Campbell’s Soup cans and the Elvis prints. Most of his muse was commercial products at this point. He could make art out of anything. For example, the soup cans or the Brillo box. In 1961, Warhol made a piece inspired by Coca-Cola, which became a “pivotal piece in his career” (warhol.org). In 1962, Warhol made created his pieces he’s most famous for; his silkscreen photographic portraits of celebrities. He made art of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. In this year, Warhol opened a solo pop-art exhibit in Los …show more content…

These were paintings that used images of newspaper articles and even police photographs of car crashes, accidents, and suicides (warhol.org). Around this time, Warhol made more artsy films like “Sleep”, which was a five hour movie just of his friend John Giorno sleeping. He was really able to make art out of anything. In 1964, Warhol opened up The Factory, which was his own art studio in New York City. Occasionally, Warhol would hold parties that the richest of the rich and the socialites of the city would attend. Lou Reed, a musician, even wrote a song about the “hustlers and transvestites” who he met at the club (biography.com). Warhol, who now at this time, became a huge celebrity who attended infamous nightclubs such as Studio 54 and Max’s Kansas City. Towards the end of the 60s, Warhol lost the lease on his Factory and had to move his studio. In 1968, a writer who had worked with Warhol had broken into his studio and shot him, damaging eight organs and leaving him scarred emotionally and physically (warhol.org). For the rest of his life, Warhol needed to wear a surgical

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