Brief Look At Andy Warhol

Pop Art originated in Europe, however its' greatest success was in America. This is because of the large amount of mass media and mass production within the country. One of the leading pop artists of this time was Andy Warhol. His work was and continues to be very popular and influential.

One of the famous pieces by Andy Warhol is Green Coca-Cola Bottles. In a large advertising campaign against their rivals, Pepsi Coal, Coca-Cola used Andy Warhol's expertise in their new ads. Warhol used the simple everyday coke bottles because they were familiar to the masses. The repitition of the bottles reflects Coke's constant presence in everyday life. Warhol was able to use a silk screen technique so he could easily reproduce the bottles over and over again. The familiar bottles connected the piece to the common culture in a way that any company would hope for it to.

Another painting by Warhol is Marilyn Diptych. This piece was created shortly after Marilyn Monroe committed suicide. Warhol used this opportunity to capitalize on the media explosion because of her death. The flat colored side of the piece represents the movie star Marilyn that everyone saw in the media. It re-enforced the Hollywood created image that the masses worshiped. The repitition of the piece represents the way she was used as a consumer product. The right side suggests multiple film stills, representing the way she attained her fame through her movies.

All of the pieces representing advertising and the mass media gave Warhol's studio the name "The Factory." The factory was actually an old hat factory until Warhol took it over for his art work. Many artists hung out in the factory during this time and it became the place to be. At one point, a regular named Valerie Solanas came into the factory and fired three shots, almost killing Warhol. Although he survived the injuries that affect his lung, spleen, liver, esophagus and