The "Pope of Pop," Andy Warhol created some of the most recognizable, influential, and controversial art of his time. Some have criticized his trademark prints featuring famous faces in vibrant, cartoon-ish colors as being repetitive and shallow. Meanwhile, others claim that these effects serve as a brilliant mirror of mass-consumerism and popular culture.
Instructions
1. Study commercial art. Andy studied commercial art in his hometown of Pittsburgh at the School of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University (formerly the Carnegie Institute of Technology). After graduation, he moved to New York City and worked in magazine illustration and advertising.
2. Choose pop icons as your subjects. Andy was an avid fan of pop culture: He loved celebrities and iconic brands. Just some of the subjects of his artwork included Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and the ubiquitous Campbell's soup can.
3. Make silkscreen prints. Andy switched from painting to mass-producing his own silkscreen prints, claiming his goal was to be "a machine." However, he also ensured that his prints were slightly different in color and other variations.
4. Get help. At the height of his popularity in the 60s, Andy enlisted the help of several assistants at his production studio, "The Factory." They aided Andy in the creation of his silkscreens, sculptures, films and other works.
5. Film tedious scenarios. Andy's 1963 film, "Sleep," features poet John Giorno sleeping for six hours. His 1964 film, "Empire," captures one shot of the unwavering Empire State Building over a period of eight hours.
6. Think commercially. If there was ever an artist unafraid of being called a sell-out, it was Andy Warhol. Andy embraced commercialism in both his inspiration and his art philosophy, stating, "Making money is art, and working is art and good business is the best art."
