Andy Warhol (1930-1987)

Born on September 28, 1930 in Forest City, PA, to Czechoslovak parents, Andrew Warhola (shortened to Warhol in the 1950's) attended primary school in the Pittsburgh area. In 1945, after graduation from high school, he studied pictorial design and art history at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. In 1949 he graduated and moved to New York to begin his career as a commercial illustrator.

Warhol's first work was for Glamour magazine for an article entitled "Success in New York is a Job." Then came work for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines and his first art for I. Miller shoe company. (It is said that Warhol developed a fetish for shoes during the I. Miller work, supported by the admission of friends of Warhol and their accounts of his licking their shoes!!) By 1955 he was the most successful and influential commercial artist in New York. He became a workaholic, devoting all his time to work and doing several versions of every assignment in every possible version. He was quoted: "The reason I'm painting this way is because I want to be a machine."

For a man who is today credited with founding and being the most influential figure of the Pop Art movement, his first public recognition came in an unusual way. He dressed windows for department stores, and in them he used enlarged comic strip images--characters such as Superman, Dick Tracy and Popeye--that he incorporated into designer fashion. Needless to say, his store windows drew a lot of attention and garnered him a reputation for the uncommon.

As he turned from the prevailing abstract-expressionist style to hard-line realism, his popularity skyrocketed. Initially, all images were hand painted but he later began to do silkscreening. This afforded him a production level that was quick and cheap. Iconographic images such as his famous soup cans, U.S. dollar bills, Coca-Cola bottles and dozens of faces of famous celebrities are now legend. These were the golden years for advertising art. While Warhol's art was accelerating in popularity, his personality and appearance took on new dimensions. He began to wear an ill-fitting blond wig and changed his speech and mannerisms.

In the 1960's, Warhol experimented with the medium of film, creating several cult classics such as Chelsea Girls, Empire, and Blow. He founded Interview magazine and published The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again while continuing to produce silkscreens. In 1964 he began making sculpture, often with labels from supermarkets, and in the 1970's he turned to portraits, two of the most famous being Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. These images reflected his fascination with the topic of death, something he carried into a series called "Death and Disaster" that included depictions of car crashes and gang warfare.

In 1968, so inflamed by his art and personality, Valerie Solanis, founder and sole member of SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) entered Warhol's loft and shot the artist. The wound was nearly fatal. It also marked a gradual turn away from painting and more involvement in film, TV and publication.

In the 1980's Warhol continued his "Death and Disaster" series silkscreens with showings throughout the world. In 1982, at a peak of popularity and recognition, he created two cable television shows and in 1986, Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes for MTV. Later in 1986, at the opening of a show in Milan, he was stricken with severe pain. Warhol was diagnosed with a gallbladder condition that had been ignored because of his dread of hospitals. Surgery was scheduled and he was admitted into New York Hospital on February 21, 1987. Surgery went well, but the private nurse attending Warhol following surgery failed to administer medication or notice his deteriorating condition. Within hours of successful surgery he was in trauma. On February 22, Warhol was pronounced dead.

With Warhol's passing, the art world suffered a major loss. His personal style will always move forward, touching and changing people's lives. Warhol was one of a kind. His art served as a reminder for us to notice what is around us, the simplicity and the beauty that is found in common objects and images.

Warhol was an enigma, a man of many facets. From the place of his birth, which he wanted people to think was McKeesport or Hawaii (the birth certificate says Forest City just the same), to his extreme behavior, he is a challenge to comprehend. His upbringing in rough, coal-mining towns with black skies and abject poverty and crime probably laid the groundwork for personality difficulties. It also might explain his late-life fascination with death. The family's difficulties with low income and the living conditions they initiated made Warhol's childhood erratic.

Warhol's work is like none other. His art brought common day people together and showed the impact of contemporary society and the idea of mass media on values. In 1999, ARTnews named him one of the twenty-five most influential artists - ever. It was written: "It all began with the first Campbell's soup can in 1962...With this simple image, the concept of appropriation was let loose for good. Warhol's celebration of his screen sirens, hustler hunks, and café-society wanna-bes...had an equally dramatic effect."

In May 1994, the Andy Warhol Museum opened in Pittsburgh. It is the most extensive display of his work anywhere in the world.

Warhol on Exhibit

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, presents Andy Warhol Retrospective through August 18. It spans the entire career of the artist and brings together approximately 200 works from the early 1940's through 1986, including examples from such landmark series as Campbell's Soup Cans, Marilyn, Jackie, Mao, Flowers, Disaster and Self-Portraits. Also included are early drawings and the first groundbreaking hand-painted B/W works of the early '60s. This is the only U.S. venue for this exhibition, and there is timed-ticketing.

An Andy Warhol Workshop will be held on July 27 at 9:00 a.m. for families with children ages 7 and up. Admission is free, but reservations are required and limited to 50 people. For info, call 213.621.1712.

Warhol Stamp to Debut

The U. S. Postal Service will continue its celebration of the fine arts by paying tribute to Andy Warhol with the release of a postage stamp scheduled for August 6. The stamp art features his "Self Portrait, 1964." Based on a photo-booth photograph, the image of silkscreen ink and synthetic polymer paint on canvas is one of several versions in varying colors and is in the collection of the Andy Warhol Museum. A detail of a photograph taken by Factory photographer Billy Name entitled "Andy with Self-Portrait, 1967" appears on the selvage.

Painting Realistic Water Scenes

When closely observed, water seems more like a mirror of the surroundings than an opaque, dense body. And because of this, painting it offers challenges to the painter as well as rewards when success is achieved. Each media demands a bit of experimentation to determine the look that is desired, but with a bit of practice, there are ways to make any river, lake, ocean or pond glow with natural sheen and realism.

In watercolor, resist materials can be employed to help maintain white areas, and it is these white areas that will help you establish the quality of life that water has. When you study paintings done by artists of the past, look closely at the way the very edges of the bodies of water sparkle with reflected light. In ocean scenes, whether day or night, there is often a glow that represents an area of lightest tone where the sun is shining through the water. This is especially true of wave action and foamy shoreline areas. When the sun glints through the water, the tone leaps into a much lighter realm, not the deep tones that deep water reflects. Sea foam itself, at the tips of the waves and at the shoreline, is best represented by the web-like patterns and copious highlights because this area is full of froth and bubbles, which can reflect a prism of color. The water itself, including the open sea and the waves, can be a blend of mingled tones that also reflect and incorporate the colors of the sky and landscape around them. There should be a bit oflandscape and sky tones in the sea, since it acts as a mirror.

Some of the brightest whites are created for some artists by scraping through dark areas with a sharp blade. This can be a razor blade (used cautiously) or a stencil knife blade. Scraping carefully and dragging the sharp edge across a dark field will expose a dramatic linear quality of pure paper color. Practice will make this a very natural action and will afford you dynamic results.

In pastel, the same guidelines can be employed as far as the use of tones from the sky and landscape in the water. But, with this media, the tones must be applied as the material is put onto paper. Water tones here again reflect the sky colors, and the shallowest areas of the water should carry close relationships with such tones. Sharp delineation of highlights can make dramatic impact when painting the edges of waves, ponds, river stones and the like. Create a fine line by chisel-pointing your pastel, and then use the point to create a precise line. Broken lines indicate more water movement and activity and solid lines a calm area. These brights need not be pure white, but a color that is represented in the lightest tones of the sky or perhaps the land area around the body of water.

Acrylic painting affords the artist the strongest ability to "build" the water layer by layer. After laying in a wash of dilute tones similar to the colors that will be used in the finished work, brush in thick, full-bodied paint. To achieve a translucent quality, veil these thick applications with thin washes, perhaps with a bit of interference or pearlescent pigment for luminosity. But, as is the case with most other media, the sharpest, brightest lights are added at the very end and represent the most striking sparkle from the sun on the water. Practice with a script brush often yields thin, elegant lines that will help establish a realistic edge and sharp definition of highlight. Colors can be those of the sky or perhaps opaque dramatic whites in the foam or wave roll. The light tones at the shoreline are again a web of interlocked super-light tones.

Alkyd and oil paints offer a quality of luminosity that is unparalleled. Each of these mediums builds a work, layer by layer. In the case of alkyd (a faster drying type of oil), the work can progress more quickly. Each offers near unlimited layering options, and with each layer a stronger and more dynamic glow builds. Care should be taken to work only on totally dry layers, as mediums and solvents can cut through and spoil the desired effect.

In graphite work, the paper color is used as the lightest, brightest tone, and areas of pure light should be planned so no coverage is executed on those sites. Some erasing is possible, but the lightest and purest tones exist where clean paper remains. Since there are only shades of dark and light in graphite and pencil work, it is this very contrast that helps establish areas of depth. Rich deep tones are used for the deepest ocean areas, and softer tones depict the areas where the sunlight penetrates the water at shoreline and from the backs of waves. Some artists use white conte crayon or white charcoal to create a very pure, clean white in their work. Purists decline this practice, yet either method of work is appealing.

To start your work with strong water scenes, study the way other artists capture the life of a body of water. When you closely examine the colors, highlights and deep tones of each artwork, you will begin to find an approach that will fit your personal painting ethic. Mixed media works can also be created if that is a favorite style. Experiment and learn ways to create transparent lights, strong deep tones and sharp highlights and you will have all the components of a great waterscape.

New Collections from General Pencil

Two new collections from General Pencil feature General's fine products in handsome packaging. The following are available in either the Art Deco Collection or the Theatre Collection: Drawing Set includes 8 drawing pencils, 1 white charcoal, 2 sketching pencils, 1 soft eraser and 1 pencil sharpener; HP Graphic Pencils includes 30 No. 2 lead pencils in a desk cup; Artists' Eraser Set includes three oversized erasers (gum, soap, and pink) packaged in a hinged box; and Colored Pencils includes 24 artists' pencils in assorted colors packaged in a desk cup. You'll love these aesthetically pleasing collections that will enhance your environment!
www.generalpencil.com.

New Videos from Iwata-Medea

Renowned airbrush artist and author Pamela Shanteau now appears on three new videos featuring Iwata airbrushes. In "Introduction to Automotive Mural & Masking Techniques," Pamela gives you the best tricks and techniques on dealing with a variety of surfaces, from preparation to development of imagery, design and layout to required materials and proper clearcoating. You'll also learn how to incorporate freehand airbrush techniques with your masked and unmasked areas. 106 minutes. In "Introduction to Airbrushing Flames," Pamela discusses materials, safety, step-by-step processes in surface preparation, layout and design, masking techniques and important clearcoat instructions. 120 minutes. In "Introduction to Motorcycle Gas Tank Airbrushing," Pamela shows you how to prepare your tank for painting, in addition to layout and design techniques, how to incorporate freehand and masked techniques, and how to render details on a curved surface, with a final focus on important clearcoat instructions. 120 minutes.
www.iwata-medea.com.

New Travel Studios and Exciter Packs from Jacquard

Jacquard has introduced two new complete working studios for the artist on the go, each custom designed by a leading artist. The Syndee Holt Clay Travel Studio includes Tips & Techniques by Syndee, 32 Pearl-Ex 3 gm jars, 8 new Fiesta Colors, 8 Lumiere Metallics, 2 Neopaques, 1 pack Sculpy Super Slicers, 2 blades, Sculpy Primo Clay, 1 pearl/1 black Scratch Art Texture Plate, surprise pack of Pearl-Ex Pellets, texture salt, gloves, and brush.

The new Sherrill Kahn Travel Paint Studio includes Tips & Techniques and exclusive Stamps by Sherrill, 8 exclusive Colors (Sherrill's Sorbets), 7 Lumiere Metallics, 8 Dye-Na-Flows, 11 Textile Colors, 8 Neopaques, #7 metal tip, salt, flat brush, sponge, and gloves. All paints in the above kits are in Jacquard's new « oz. squeeze bottle.

Jacquard has also introduced 5 new Exciter Pack color sets, including their guest artist series. Each set has nine « oz. squeeze bottles of paint. Included are Lumiere & Neopaque, Textile Traditional, and Dye-Na-Flow. Colors for Quilters by Cindy Walter and Jennifer Priestley, authors of The Basic Guide to Dyeing and Painting Fabric (Krause Publications), includes three bottles each of Dye-Na-Flow, Lumiere Metallic, and Textile Traditional.

American Folk Art

To understand and appreciate American folk art (or any folk art), it is necessary to understand that it does not come out of the fine art tradition. One must abandon the usual criteria by which art is considered. The skill levels, the materials manipulation and the differences in composition may seem dramatic. In reality, specific composition, correct perspective and superb mastery of technique are not concerns of the folk artist. Surely, early settlers in the New World colonies had little concern with the qualities of fine art. The reason for, and their idea of, portraiture was to document social status and power and to hold the image for future generations. It was not created for much more than a record of a place, a person and a time.

The first real appreciation of American folk art began in the 1920's when artists returning from WWI began to search for what was "American" about American art. Since then, the naive art of different periods has been loosely identified by collectors and scholars and has been given such terms as amateur, pioneer, artisan, popular, outsider, primitive, naive, self-taught and provincial. Because the art of vast bodies of work was created by self-trained artists and persons who were artistically innocent, there is great confusion. Basically, the art fell into categories based upon medium and type.

Oil and tempera paintings on canvas and board, watercolors on paper and cardboard, drawings, sketches and pastels are the mediums most often found. But portraits silhouettes, landscapes, wall murals, furniture (and coach) decoration, shop signs, pinprick pictures, paintings on velvet and silk and over-mantel paintings are also included in the catchall term of "American Folk Art." Folk art sculpture includes such diverse objects as carved gravestones, carved and painted signs, weathervanes, ship figureheads, fish and bird decoys, religious statuary, pottery and chalkware (plaster) ornaments. The topics and categories seem endless, as are the interests in them.

But, regardless of medium, several features appear throughout all folk art. There seems to be a sense of naturalness and simplicity, resulting in a forthrightness and honesty that has come to be admired by art historians, critics and collectors.

The study of American folk art could encompass a lifetime. History can be understood by studying folk art, because many critics indicate that the rise and then disappearance of folk art is closely connected with the events of the 19th century when the ways of the old world gave way to a modern and urban society. In folk art, artisans were free to invent and make simple things for their own pleasure in each village or homestead, and this lasted only until the rise of industrial production at the end of the 19th century. Folk art occupies a brief interval between the transition from rural to urban lifestyles.

The general consensus of the qualities of folk art include terms such as directness, simplicity and imagination. A true spirit and heart is contained in quality folk art, with little other art even remotely related to it. Strangely, in the late 18th century, this notion that art was a social icon and economic indicator was repeated in the Hudson River Valley, where the rich merchants and planters dominated every aspect of colonial life between New York City in the south and Albany in the north.

For many years it was generally thought that the folk artist was anonymous and untrained, but research has altered these views. Although there are dozens of recognized folk artists, there are anumber of artists that have become well known: Americans Grandma Moses, Edward Hicks and the Canadian Maude Lewis to name a few. Grandma Moses lived from 1861 to 1961, Edward Hicks from 1780 to 1849 and Maude Lewis from 1903 to 1993. Today, folk artists such as Thornton Dial, Sr., African-American (born 1928), and Harriet Bell continue their folk art work.

Now there are two general categories for all work created as folk art. One is what is referred to as "memory" painting and usually encompasses the older, self-taught artists where scenes were recorded as documentation of their early rural lives. These works are free from the changes brought about by improved communications and transportation in America during the 20th century.

A second category, the raw, expressive and seemingly childlike work of current folk artists, seems almost as connected to contemporary art as much as folk art. The eccentric, self-taught work of these painters and sculptors represents their individual visions and concerns. Their sense of self, place and the individual's place within society project a personal point of view, not unlike the earliest of American folk artisans. Their work is still created outside the traditions generally associated with fine art, and what they create has added significantly to the patchwork of naive creativity in America in the 20th century.

In recent years folk art has reached extraordinary prominence. The Museum of American Folk Art in New York City has been at the forefront of folk-art presentation on national and international levels. The field has also been redefined in recent years. Although, in their own time, early American folk artists were not thought to be creating quality, lasting images, today the credibility and collectability of such works is enjoying a rebirth.

New Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art Museum has a brand new home in the heart of Manhattan at 45 West 53rd St. This 30,000 sq. ft, six-story building has been met with high acclaim. From 18th and 19th century paintings, quilts, and sculptures to the dynamic works of contemporary self-taught artists, the museum's extraordinary collection reveals the spectrum of American expression.

On exhibit through December is American Anthem Part II: Masterworks from the Permanent Collection, organized as a chronological consideration of American folk art from the colonial period to the present. For more information or to view the collection, see www.folkartmuseum.org.

Folk Art Society

The Folk Art Society of America was founded in 1987 and advocates the discovery, study, documentation, preservation and exhibition of folk art, folk artists, and folk art environments. Artists, educators, historians, writers, collectors, dealers, curators, museums, libraries and art enthusiasts join together to share a common bond of interest in self-taught art and the unique individuals involved in its creation. For more information, see www.folkart.org, where you will also find an extensive calendar of events. 800-527-FOLK (3655).

Found Object Stencils

Early in the history of airbrush, artists discovered that everyday items could be used as stencils in the development of their artwork. Man Ray used such things as bobby pins, combs, and torn pieces of paper to develop interesting shapes in his paintings of 1917-18.

A multitude of objects--such as household items, stick-on labels, flat plastic shapes, doilies and lace--exist all around us and with a little imagination can be used to help create airbrush paintings. Some objects can be used to make an exact image, while in other cases the found object stencil is used to make an element of a picture by combining it with additional stencils to develop an unrelated object.

For example, if you had a project in which you needed to paint an American flag, you could develop the stars in the blue field by painting the entire field white and then affixing adhesive-backed stars in the pattern desired. Airbrush the entire area blue, and when the star stick-ons are removed, the white will show the exact images of the stars. If the flag was creased or wavy, the stick-on stars could be cut so they would appear to be coming out from underneath a fold. In another case, an old trick of photo retouchers is to use a wad of cotton when developing the soft edge of the hairline on a portrait from the background by spraying along the hand-held cotton. Some of the items you should keep your eye out for and accumulate for use in the development of artwork can be found not only in the house, but also in the hardware store, office supply store, supermarket, or around your studio.

Self-adhesive labels are used extensively. Technical illustrators use round pricing labels for the stenciling of bolt heads or rivets. Today these labels are popular and come in a variety of shapes from circles, squares and rectangles to kid's stickers of various cartoon characters, animals and shapes. All of these can be used when developing an illustration or painting with the airbrush.

Many household items can be used--cotton, cheesecloth, jar caps, various kitchen tools, etc. Office supply aisles are filled with useful items such as paper clips, rulers, and tapes. Hardware departments contain window screening of various sizes and flat sheets of decorative metal or plastic that are die-cut in intricate patterns. And, don't forget Mother Nature--leaves, feathers, pebbles, twigs, etc.

Hypothetically, anything that blocks spray can be used as a stencil. If the object used, say a leaf, needs to be tightly affixed to the work surface, this can be easily and quickly accomplished by coating it with spray adhesive. Normally, thin objects work best, but in other cases, a certain shape may be available only in a thicker object. So, when you are at the mall or routing through your toolbox, keep your eyes open for items that you may be able to utilize to develop that perfect shape in your airbrush art.

New Museum Planned--Voters in Beacon, NY, have approved the sale of a 130,000 sq. ft. former high school building that will be transformed into the largest decorative arts museum in the nation. The Decorative Arts and Design Institute will display decorative arts and design objects as well as crafts and offer a wide range of exhibition and educational programs. DADI will present exhibitions of major collections on loan from other decorative arts museums and collectors around the country. It is expected to be fully operational in three years.

Sculpture Installed--Four steel sculptures by Alexander Calder have been installed near the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. The 12-year sculpture program will rotate Calder works at the site.

Milestones Reached--Renowned Manhattan art dealer Holly Solomon died recently in New York City at age 68. Solomon was the subject of a 9-panel portrait by Andy Warhol and was a major player in the art world. And J. Carter Brown, former director of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and director of the National Gallery of Art for 23 years, has died at 67. Brown was instrumental in overseeing the development of several monuments and architectural attractions, including the Vietnam Memorial.

Museums Plan Expansions--The High Museum has announced a $130 million expansion that will more than double the museum's space and add a central piazza, restaurant, shop and expanded arts campus. Renzo Piano has been selected as the architect. Meanwhile, renovations have begun at the Carnegie Museum of Art's Sarah Scaife Galleries, which house paintings, sculpture and decorative art objects from the museum's permanent collection. Improvements are projected to take one year; meanwhile many works from the permanent collection will be on view in Panopticon: An Art Spectacular, a unique exhibition in the museum's Heinz Galleries from Sept. 28 through Aug. 17, 2003.

Party Animals Turn Political--When visiting Washington, D.C., through early fall, you'll see 200 "Party Animals"--specially designed 4.5 x 5 foot sculptures of donkeys and elephants. Each artist selected received a $1,000 grant and $200 for supplies to create the sculpture, and more than half of the artists are from the D.C. area. But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had a design (which decried the treatment of circus elephants) refused by the arts commission, and the matter is expected to end in litigation. A guide map detailing the locations of the sculptures is available at Metro stations.

Peace Program Scheduled--The International Child Art Foundation (ICAF) is holding a Peace Through Art Program for Cyprus from July 1-20 in Washington, D.C. Twenty Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot youth will come together for three weeks of peace education and leadership training. ICAF is the only national art and creativity organization for children in the U.S.

Exhibitions:

Chicago -- The Art Institute of Chicago -- To Inspire and Instruct: Art from the Collection of the Chicago Public Schools -- Between 1900 and 1946, more than 300 murals were placed in Chicago's public schools, painted by artists of some renown. The subject matter of these works was carefully chosen to inspire, educate, and edify students. This exhibition highlights 20 portable murals and paintings from this vast collection of thousands of pieces. Through August 11.

Washington, D.C. -- National Gallery of Art -- Alfred Stieglitz: Known and Unknown -- The NGA has published a catalogue that includes reproductions of their collection of 1,600 photographs by Stieglitz. This exhibition celebrates the publication with an installation of approximately 100 of Stieglitz's photos. Through Sept. 2.

Austin, TX -- Austin Museum of Art -- The Circus in 20th Century American Art: Images from the World Between brings together approximately 90 works that include paintings, sculpture, prints, photographs and video by twentieth-century American artists whose works reflect a sustained or significant interest in the circus. Among these are George Bellows and John Steuart Curry from the first half of the century and Diane Arbus and Lisette Model from more recent times. Through August 18.

Philadelphia, PA - Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art -- American Sublime: Epic Landscapes of Our Nation 1820-1880 - Organized by the Tate Britain, this exhibition explores topics from the exquisite beauty of the untamed wild to the heartbreaking realities of Industrialization. It celebrates the inspired vision of Bierstadt, Church, Cole, Cropsey, Durand, Heade, Kensett, Gifford and others with more than 60 astounding grand-scale oil paintings mixed with smaller works and oil sketches. Through August 25.

Blue Mountain Lake, NY -- The Adirondack Museum -- In Search of a National Landscape: William Trost Richards in the Adirondacks -- This opportunity to display a selection of 25-30 Adirondack oil paintings and works on paper, ranging in date from 1855 to 1904, will introduce the visitor to one of the most important, although lesser-known, mid-century interpreters of the region. Through October 14.

Baltimore, MD -- Baltimore Museum of Art -- Cézanne and the Transformed Landscape features "Mont Sainte-Victoire Seen from the Bibemus Quarry" from the BMA's collection and three dramatic landscapes on loan from New York's Museum of Modern Art as well as 35 French masterpieces by Monet, van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin, Renoir, and Pissarro--and a special exhibition of more than 20 works from the Museum's collection that highlights Cézanne's influence on well-known European and American artists. Through August 25.

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 12 No. 9 -- July 2002