“He puts meaning back where there is deadness.” – Wayne Koestenbaum, Writer
Whew. Finally finished the PBS 4-hour long documentary about Andy Warhol. My favorite interpretations were of how his childhood affected his art ala constant visits to the neighborhood Byzantine church, with all it’s glorified deities crafted in simple, flat folk forms
His fascinating life arc, (parts of which mirrors many artists’), taken as a whole quite impresses — from the Corporate Fashion / Graphic Design World to > The Struggle to be accepted at a full-fledged professional artist > Finding His True Voice and Bringing Something New and Important to the table that is the Art World > Ridiculous Fame and Ego Play > Immersion into a Crazy Scene with Crazy People which winds up being destructive beyond belief > to finally, with sort of a 360 irony, settling into Business as Art.
I love his early graphic work for Vogue and the New York fashion industry (below), and while I appreciate the appropriation of Campbell’s, after a 4-hour long viewing of his portfolio, I feel like I never want to see a picture of Marilyn Monroe again.
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| From R e a l e y e s G a l l e r y |
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| From R e a l e y e s G a l l e r y |
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