One of my favorite art movements is Pop Art. One of my favorite American artists is the iconic artist Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol is a Pop Artist; he is one of the Pop Art Movement’s major figures. Andy Warhol’s artwork explored the relationship between what is known as the mass popular cultures of his day and art. He used many iconic American objects in his art and also painted many celebrities.

Andy Warhol had a talent to turn the ordinary into works of art.

Andy Warhol -A Pop Artist

Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987), born Andrew Warhola, was an American artist, filmmaker, and producer that became a leading figure in the visual arts movement known as pop art. His artwork explores the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture.

In speaking about Pop Art, Andy Warhol said:

To discover more about Pop Art you can read our blog on What Is Pop Art In Simple Terms? by clicking here.

Andy Warhol’s Pop Artwork

In the 1960s, Warhol began to make paintings of iconic American objects such as dollar bills, mushroom clouds, electric chairs, Campbell Soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles. With a fascination with Hollywood, he also painted many celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, Tony Donahue, Muhammad Ali, and Elizabeth Taylor. Andy Warhol made political statements as he used newspaper headlines or showed photographs of police dogs attacking African-American protesters during the Birmingham campaign in the civil rights movement. All of this artwork was part of the 1960s and 1970s Pop Art Movement.

Andy Warhol became a popular but controversial artist. In speaking about using ordinary objects in his work, Andy Warhol said this:

Why Pop Art Become An Art Movement

Pop art began in the late 1950s but really reached its peak in the 1960s. It was a revolt against the dominant and traditional approaches to art and culture at the time.

This revolt in the arts was very much in line with many things that were happening in the culture in both Britain and the United States at the time. In fact, the 1960s was known as one of the most tumultuous and despise divisive decades in world history. The 1960s were marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, antiwar protest, political assassinations, and the emerging generation gap.

The 1960s was also the Woodstock era, rock ‘n’ roll, Charles Manson, drugs, sex, and hippies. As the world was changing, artists as Andy Warhol were also changing how art was viewed.

In speaking of the 1960s Andy Warhol said this:

Andy Warhol and The Pop Art Movement Changes Art

Andy Warhol and the other Pop Art artists changed how art was viewed with the Pop Art Movement. Art would never be the same as it was before this powerful Pop Art Movement emerged.

With the emergence of the Pop Art movement, most art critics were horrified at the prospect of Pop Art becoming an art movement. Pop Art was an edgy kind of art that pushed society’s art limits.

Pop Art wanted to change how art wa viewed did not care what the art critics thought about it. In speaking change Andy Warhol said:

Andy Warhol and the other Pop Artists set out to change how art was viewed. And Warhol’s willingness to change art made him an iconic art figure – even today.

Andy Warhol and other pop artists’ ability to embrace change was shown in The New York City’s Museum Of Modern Art symposium on Pop Art in December 1962. Pop artists such as Andy Warhol were attacked for capitalizing on consumerism and the market culture with their art. This did not stop Andy Warhol or any of the other Pop Artists from producing their Pop Artwork.

In fact Andy Warhol said how he viewed art and pushing change with art:

Andy Warhol and Street Graffiti.

Many believe that pop art was what started the street art or graffiti movement. In fact, in the 1980s, the New York underground graffiti artist Fab Five Freddy paid homage to Andy Warhol when he painted an entire train with Campbell Soup cans. Many believe that Warhol and other pop artists helped influence the emergence of street art or graffiti.

Many street artists or graffiti artists took their inspiration directly from pop artists like Andy Warhol. Street Art or Graffiti also had some similarities to Pop Art in that both are, in a sense, anti-establishment.

The Andy Warhol Museum

One of the best places to see the work of Andy Warhol and discover more about him is the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This art museum is in Pittburgh, the town Andy Warhols was born. It is considered one of the most comprehensive single-artist museums globally.

The Andy Warhol Museum is one of four Carnegie museums a Pittsburgh. The museum is a collaborative project between the Carnegie Institute, the Dia Art Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The museum officially opened its doors in 1994.

The Andy Warhol Museum is open to the public on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They are closed on most public holidays.

To find out more about The Andy Warhol Museum you can visit The Andy Warhol Museum Webpage by clicking here.

Andy Warhol, the iconic Pop Artist, led a complex and inspirational life. Warhol has left us with a great legacy of Pop Art. But he has also shown us that we can be the kind of people that push the limits and work to change how art is viewed – even today.

Related Questions

What Was the Cubism Art Movement?

Cubism is an early 20th Century avant-garde art movement that helped to revolutionize European painting and sculpture. It also helped to inspire related movements in music, literature, and architecture. There are two periods of Cubism called Analytical and Synthetic. Also, there is the Orphism Cubism, which is an offshoot of Cubism.

You can discover more by reading our blog The Cubism Art Movement, What You Need to Know by clicking here.

What is the American Gothic Painting by Grant Wood?

Grant Wood’s painting, the American Gothic, has a Carpenter Gothic Style house with a stoic man with a pitchfork and women staring off to the side painted outside their house. The American Gothic painting has a lot of ambiguity associated with it, which has lead to speculation about its true meaning; all this ambiguity has raised the painting’s profile over the years. The painting received a 3rd place finish in an art competition at the Art Institute of Chicago.

You can discover more by reading our blog 17 Facts About the American Gothic Painting by Grant Wood (1930) by clicking here.