Postmodern Art in Andy Warhol´s Silvier Liz as Cleopatra

1187 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of religion in art

The earliest forms of art had made it’s mark in history for being an influential and unique representation of various cultures and religions as well as playing a fundamental role in society. However, with the new era of postmodernism, art slowly deviated away from both the religious context it was originally created in, and apart from serving as a ritual function. Walter Benjamin, a German literary critic and philosopher during the 1900’s, strongly believed that the mass production of pieces has freed art from the boundaries of tradition, “For the first time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependance on ritual” (Benjamin 1992). This particular excerpt has a direct correlation with the work of Andy Warhol, specifically “Silver Liz as Cleopatra.” Andy Warhol’s rendition of Elizabeth Taylor are prime examples of the shift in art history that Benjamin refers to as the value of this particular piece is based upon its mass production, and appropriation of iconic images and people.
“Silver Liz as Cleopatra” is a piece completed by Warhol in 1963 and is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. This specific painting portrays actress Elizabeth Taylor as the lead role of Cleopatra, the highest grossing film of 1963. Silver paint, and silkscreen ink and pencil on linen were all used in union to achieve the final result. Here the recurring images of the queen of the silver screen resemble a strip of film or a number of inexpensive and quick snap shots from a photo booth. The representation of Hollywood stars in his works were not an uncommon subject for Warhol as he was infatuated with the world of celebrities. His ability to utilize the methods and techniques...

... middle of paper ...

...he era of postmodernism altered the face of art, taking it away from both the religious and ritual context it was originally made for. Warhol was able to create a sense of value in his art by linking illusion of scarcity and inimitability of brand names and branded famous faces to pop art. Through works such as “Silver Liz as Cleopatra,” Warhol had single handedly gave new meaning to art by exploiting a recognized figure of mass culture for the consumption of society. To be specific, the value in “Silver Liz as Cleopatra” is embedded in its mass production and the authentic and genuine appeal of a media icon. Warhol’s take on Elizabeth Taylor defines the transformation in art history that Walter Benjamin alludes to. The value of “Silver Liz as Cleopatra” is not based on its abidance of tradition, but based on its mass production in pop culture, and iconic existence.

Show More
Related

  • The Changing Depictions of Cleopatra's Legacy

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    Changing social habits of a contemporary society have seen Cleopatra depicted in many different ways. Whilst few artefacts remain of the true image of Cleopatra, we see from her portrait on the coins (Fear, 2008, p, 21 Fig 1.4) that despite being no legendary beauty, she had the power to captivate two of the greatest Romans of her time. Cleopatra consummated her union with Julius Caesar, which strengthened her grip on the throne, following his assassination; she formed alliance with Mark Antony, in opposition to Octavian, a coalition that would lead to her downfall as both Antony and Cleopatra’s combined forces would be defeated against Octavian in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE. (Fear, 2008, p.7)

    Read More

  • Andy Warhol And Ai Weiwei

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    Known for being the father of Pop Art, and a giant in pop culture, Warhol dominated the art scene from the late fifties up until his untimely death in 1987. However Warhol’s influence spread further then the art world, he also was a major player in the LGBT, avant-garde and experimental cinema movements. Born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Slovakian immigrant parents, Warhol came from humble beginnings. Becoming widely known for debuting the concept of ‘pop art’ in 1962. Warhol’s reach grew further when he started experimenting with film, becoming a major player in the LGBT, avant-garde and experimental cinema movements. Warhol’s artist studio, known famously as ‘The Factory’ became a hub for experimentation, and a go-to point for celebrities, musicians and trans folk. During this time, Warhol came out as an openly gay man, challenging the status quo of the day, a time when being homosexual was illegal. While also producing highly experiential films such as ‘Blow Job’ (1964) and ‘Sleep’ (1964) which were highly political and provocative, at the time. As art critic Dave Hickey asserts, “Art has political consequences, which is to say, it reorganized society and creates constituencies of people around it” (Hickey, 2007), Andy Warhol’s art and lived experience created a political constituency which can be best recognised in the function of the “Silver Factory” on

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Cassatt's The Child And Mother Nursing Her Child

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aristotle once claimed that, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Artists, such as Louise-Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun and Mary Cassatt, captured not only the way things physically appeared on the outside, but also the emotions that were transpiring on the inside. A part no always visible to the viewer. While both artists, Le Brun and Cassatt, worked within the perimeters of their artistic cultures --the 18th century in which female artists were excluded and the 19th century, in which women were artistically limited-- they were able to capture the loving relationship between mother and child, but in works such as Marie Antoinette and Her Children and Mother Nursing her Child 1898,

    Read More

  • Art and Reproduction: Joan of Arc Images

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

    Read More

  • Memories of the Atomic Bomb Shown in "Children Are Game" and "Atomic Bomb"

    2298 Words  | 5 Pages

    Warhol, Andy, and Pat Hackett. POPism: the Warhol '60s. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. Print.

    Read More

  • Impact Of Andy Warhol And Frida Kahlo

    153 Words  | 1 Pages

    Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo had an immense amount of impact on the world of art. Warhol has always explored the rooted connection between celebrity culture and artistic expression, which left him with a lasting legacy that has marked him for one of the most famous artists to have existed. The population was fascinated by Warhol’s ability to blur the lines between fine art and innovative design, providing him a large following and work that will be remembered for decades. Kahlo too is a name that is not likely to be forgotten. Her work is recognizable on a global level and her works are loved by many people. The deep admiration her followers have given her, and the amount of modern artists that she has influenced, creates an immortalization

    Read More

  • The Idea Of Women In Anne Hollander's Women As Dress

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women in pictorial history have often been used as objects; figures that passively exist for visual consumption or as catalyst for male protagonists. Anne Hollander in her book Fabric of Vision takes the idea of women as objects to a new level in her chapter “Women as Dress”. Hollander presents the reader with an argument that beginning in the mid 19th century artists created women that ceased to exist outside of their elegantly dressed state. These women, Hollander argues, have no body, only dress. This concept, while persuasive, is lacking footing which I will attempt to provide in the following essay. In order to do this, the work of James Tissot (b. 1836 d. 1902) will further cement the idea of “women as dress” while the work of Berthe

    Read More

  • Breaking Down the Barriers to Feminist Art Work

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jones, Leslie C.. Transgressive Femininity: Art and Gender in the Sixties and Seventies. Abject Art: Repulsion and Desire in American Art. New York: D.A.P., 1993.

    Read More

  • Andy Warhol: The Leader Of The Pop Art Movement

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before I started this research paper, all I knew about Andy Warhol was that he was the leader of the pop art movement. Reading his book and many biographies written about him, I have learned that Warhol is a truly complex character. I found out during my research that Warhol is a hoarder. Warhol himself has admitted that he had a problem with throwing anything away. In his book, he addressed that he wanted a clean empty space, but his mind wouldn’t let him. This new perspective of Warhol allowed me to tie his artwork as a reflection of his mind. I think Andy Warhol as exactly what he was, an artist in New York City. I cannot imagine Warhol outside of the NYC scene because Warhol was very provocative for the time period he lived in and NYC is perfect for people like

    Read More

  • Griselda Pollock: Article Analysis

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article Artists Mythologies and Media Genius, Madness and Art History (1980) by Griselda Pollock is a forty page essay where Pollock (1980), argues and explains her views on the crucial question, "how art history works" (Pollock, 1980, p.57). She emphasizes that there should be changes to the practice of art history and uses Van Gogh as a major example in her study. Her thesis is to prove that the meaning behind artworks should not be restricted only to the artist who creates it, but also to realize what kind of economical, financial, social situation the artist may have been in to influence the subject that is used. (Pollock, 1980, pg. 57) She explains her views through this thesis and further develops this idea by engaging in scholarly debates with art historians and researcher, and objecting to how they claim there is a general state of how art is read. She structures her paragraphs in ways that allows her to present different kinds of evidences from a variety sources while using a formal yet persuasive tone of voice to get her point across to the reader.

    Read More

  • Frida Kahlo Velvet Dress Analysis

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Frida Kahlo’s honest, often bizarre, self-portraits reflect a beauty beyond the physical--- an impishness in the wide eyes, a small smirk teasing at the corners of her mouth. In her renderings, her cheeks are always heavily rouged, and exotic flowers adorn her raven hair. Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress uses the contrast of light --- Kahlo’s glowing skin --- and dark--- the black background, and in doing so, this painting not only communicates the subject’s outward beauty. It also points to an unspoken turmoil inside of the painter: as dark as the night sky and as deep as rolling sea.

    Read More

  • Andy Warhol

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nineteen sixties, seventies, and eighties were periods of self righteousness and discovery. With many new styles and beliefs arising during those eras, Warhol’s imagination would begin to produce ideas that were unheard of but revolutionary at the same time. American values were altered and so Warhol saw a chance to highlight how easily people are influenced by the media and pop culture. He used many aspects of the new cultural society to create his artwork.

    Read More

  • Pop Art Analysis

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    This paper deals, in broadest terms, with the questions of how artwork is connected to the changes and dynamics that prevail in a society. To describe these changes, I will investigate how a specific type of art reflects its social content in contemporary societies. My analysis is carried out by closely looking at the Pop Art movement, especially with Andy Warhol, who has come to be known as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. It will be argued that Pop Art managed to successfully articulate its time, and in so doing, it became a widely influential art movement whose effect is still very much existent in today’s world of art. In order to prove its claim, this paper relies on the theory of “the field of cultural production” by Pierre

    Read More

  • Articulation Theory Essay

    1289 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stuart Hall emphasizes that the popular is constantly evolving. And due to this ever-changing society, the ways in which things are perceived is changing as well. This concept, coined articulation theory, is one of the huge reasons behind artistic expression. Throughout all of history, stories, evidence, and art are forgotten, altered, or misperceived. Because so many important parts of the past are overlooked, artists and writers focus on drawing the attention of modern society to these buried antiquities. However, because the global has changed in such monumental ways, these important ideas are expressed differently. These forms of expression are represented in innovative and thought provoking, yet rather uncomfortable ways. However, the

    Read More

  • Pop Art Essay

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pop art is an art movement that questions the traditions of fine art and incorporates images from popular culture. Neo-Dada is an art trend that shares similarities in the method and/or intent to Dada art pieces. Both these movements emerged around the same time periods in history, the 1950s and 1960s, and artists from both generally got their inspiration from the Dada movement, which developed in the early 20th century. The movement altered how people viewed art, and it presented a variety of new methods and styles. Dada artists, also known as Dadaists, believed in showing their anti-war beliefs through their artwork. The Dada movement produced a different style of art, and pieces created controversy because they were outside the realm of what society considered art and what was expected and acceptable. This set in motion a chance for artists to be able to create the kind of artwork that inspires them, even though it was considered unorthodox. Even though they were controversial, many pieces that were created during Dada heavily influenced other styles of art to come after, such as Neo-Dada and Pop art. The influence of Dada can be seen in Robert Rauschenberg’s work, who was a Neo-Dadaist, and it can also be seen through Andy Warhol’s work, a Pop artist. Even though Dada affected both artists, they created very different pieces. This paper will analyze Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and Rauschenberg’s White Painting (Three Panel) and discuss how they were impacted differently by the Dada movement, and why they are each considered to be different styles of artwork. The time in history of each artist was the same, and the same movement influenced them both, but the outcome of the art that they each created was incredibly different....

    Read More

More about Postmodern Art in Andy Warhol´s Silvier Liz as Cleopatra

Open Document