Andy Warhole

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Andy Warhol was a famous American artist known best for starting the pop art movement during the 1960’s. Born in 1928 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Warhol was a quiet sickly child who spend most of 1935 in his bed due to an illness, during this time his mother would give him colouring books to keep him occupied, this is probably when his fascination with colourful art began. Before beginning his career as a pop artist Warhol did commercial art doing illustrations for shoe advertisements and setting up display windows for various shops, this art gained him some fame especially his illustrations which were done in a loose blotted ink style which people liked
Consumerism was a product of the “swinging 60’s” as they are called, this was a revolutionary time for not only American society but society around the world. This was a time when all boundaries were disregarded, the contraceptive pill was made available for the first time giving woman complete sexual freedom, it was also a time when people were heavily protesting against the Vietnam war “make love not war” was a quote commonly heard being said and written on picket signs. Fashion was drastically changing from the conservative 1940’s/50’s styles with the introduction of the mini skirt which was now included in most woman’s wardrobes. Consumerism is defined as a “social and economic order based on the systematic creation and fostering on a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts” (www.slideshare.net) this movement was the mass production of goods with little value meaning people could now go to a big company owned store and buy everything they needed rather than having to source it from small scale sellers. Celebrity culture and celebrity worship was also a ...

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...a reflection of society and its aspects as a whole. These aspects were to do with the revolutionary change that was happening in society at the time, consumerism was a major part of this change this is why it heavily influenced Warhol’s work. During interviews with Andy Warhol he did not give much if any information about his art, during an interview in 1966 Warhol asked the interviewer to give him both his question and the answer to the question because he simply did not have an answer. It could be said that this was because the art that Warhol produced was not entirely his idea but he took his ideas from outside sources which where the newly formed society and rising consumerism.

Andy Warhol was a revolutionary artist that rose to fame during a revolutionary time, he used this to his advantage to produce some of the most fascinating art to shock the world.

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