And Warhol, who was born on August 6, 1928, in Pennsylvania, the child of Slovakian immigrants and Anne-at the point where Pittsburgh meets the eastern European community of Oakland, grew up in a working-class household with devout Byzantine Catholic observances. He regularly went to church.
At eight years old, Andy Warhol got Chorea, an illness of the central nervous system which left him bedridden for a year, but during his mother widened his life with Bouquets of flowers and taught him to paint. That left a lasting and memorable passion for creative expression in him – for long afterwards his works were filled with evidence of that leitmotif motif. At nine years old, Andy Warhol became interested in photography. He set up a makeshift darkroom in his family basement, and by the age of 14 had won two 3Rd place prizes for having-something-with-yet-ever seen application to an all-city sixth grade science fair project– at the time it was Olympics First International Exhibition Invention show. Is there any wonder That he enjoyed such rapid success throughout his career? Andy Warhol was with his high school, the one near its end. Holmes had grown out of the way and was being terminated soon afterward. They gave students free art classes at Carnegie Institute. One was right near their house on Oakland Avenue. His works completely express an attitude towards pleasing pictures.
After Warhol’s father died in 1942, the young man inherited his life savings: enough to see himself through college and start his own business. In 1945, Warhol graduated from Schenley High School. He entered Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) the same year, where he studied Illustration.
The Darling of New York and Creator of Pop Art
After Warhol had graduated from Carnegie Tech with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1949, New York City was the natural place for him to go. He worked as a commercial artist and quickly became successful by giving a hint of bright color in black and white publications. His work was first gathered by the Museum of Modern Art in 1946 and featured in Vanity Fair the next year.
In the late 1950s Warhol began to paint. In 1961 he introduced pop art whose topic could be summed up with one image: a can of Campbell’s soup. The term originated as a combination of the words “popular” and “popular art” but by some commentators is used to cover mass consumer products as well as popular culture.
In 1962 Warhol had his famous exhibition of Campbell’s soup cans, thrusting both him and pop art into the public eye.His work, featuring everyday objects like Coca-Cola bottles and vacuum cleaners, transformed the relationship between art and consumer society.
Star Portraits and The Factory
Taking pop art’s favorite subject, Warhol painted celebrities with bright colors as well. Along with Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Mick Jagger were synonymous in news stories about him, entering the soul of graphic design for artists and writers alike. Portraits of the artist attracted attention from both high-society and New York money-spinners such as Mickey Ruskin One of his greatest paintings, Eight Elvises, sold for $100 million in 2008. Warhol had really become a legend of art history.
Before 1964 Warhol opened “The Factory,” an art studio which was also the venue for New York’s elite to do their business. The Factory attracted celebrities, artists and musicians including Lou Reed who saluted Warhol’s entourage with his 1973 hit “Walk On The Wild Side”. Now enjoying life as a celebrity, Warhol became a regular fixture at such legendary nightclubs as Tale of Two Cities.
Changed Viewpoints
In 1968, Warhol was nearly killed by a troubled young woman seeking to make a name for herself. She shot him and Valerie Solanas, leaving him bedridden for the rest of his life. Though he recovered, was required to wear a corset after surgeries as penance for her act. Shortly afterward Solanas had been caught and entered a plea of guilty.
Over the next two decades, 1970s and 1980s, Warhol ’s creativity continued to expand his horizons. He worked not only with the visual arts (such as painting and graphic design), which he had been doing for some time already. In the 1970s and ’80s he completed films, video art, sculpture and even made forays into television entertainment as well. Furthermore, Warhol published several books. The most famous of them is his first, which marks a return to the tone and spirit. There is also Philosophy.
It ought to have been ideal times for Warhol,fashioned now is an artist who loves living. But in overcoming poverty and giving all the young painters of today a stage endowment-did a challenge that remained unsuitable to himself become pressing for him also. At the beginning of 1987 he died from complications following gallbladder surgery on February 22, 1987 at age 58. His death was a turning point in post-war art.
Cultural Impact of Warhol
Warhol’s life and work reflect a deep involvement in materialism and celebrity culture. His art was both critical but also at times celebratory of these two aspects of American society. This led him to declare famously that “Making money is art and working is art, and good business is the best art.” His influence continues throughout art history not just as an innovative contributor to its content but also because he incarnated the new relation between art, acclaim, and trade.
Quick Facts:
Born: August 6, 1928, Pittsburgh, Penn.
Died: February 22, 1987, New York City
Best Known For: Pioneer the Pop Art movement, which mixed commercial culture with fine art
Notable Works: Campbell’s Soup Cans, celebrity portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Eight Elvises
Famous Hangouts: The Factory, Studio 54
Warhol’s artistic vision and his exploration of American culture continue to inspire and impact contemporary art, reaffirming that his significance now belongs among history.
