Andy Warhol | The Impact He Has Had

Andy Warhol lived to be 58 and died in 1987, 10 years before I was born. Yet, in those 58 years prior to my birth, Warhol had an undeniable impact on my life.

Many people know Warhol as the man who created the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe that we can see everywhere today, or the 32 Campbell Soup Cans. But I know him as the chief-protagonist of the Pop Art movement of the 20th Century.

For those of you who aren't sure, the Pop Art movement is an art movement that came about due to the onset of mass production and industrialization in the US in the 50's. It broke down the barriers around art that made it an elitist culture, only for those of the upper classes. But Pop Art opened up a world of cultural pursuits such as reading, cinema, TV and music for the lower classes. These are all things we take for granted regularly, but we would never have had them if it wasn't for artists like Warhol.

When I say Warhol broke down the barriers that made art so elite, I mean he completely removed any connotations of craftsmanship. He even made silk-screen prints of things like Brillo Pad boxes. He made people question the process of originality and the ownership of an image. He only emphasized this idea more by naming his studio 'The Factory.' Genius! If he hadn't made such a turn in the course of art history, I don't think art would be as big of a part of my life as it is today.

I really admire Warhol's courage to take steps such as these when art in those days, typically looked like this.

But here we have a typical Warhol portrait, (Michael Jackson) and the difference between this image and the one above is ridiculous. It's such a huge leap, it's almost unbelievable that this amount of change happened in such a short period of time. The fearlessness Warhol lived his life with, the fearlessness and courage that has made him so iconic, is something I can only wish to follow.

Warhol made some pretty outlandish films. Some were short, some were long. He made a video of himself eating a hamburger. But he also made a film 8 hours long, called 'Sleep', which consisted of a man, asleep, for 8 hours. Crazy, right!?
But hey, wasn't that the start of reality TV? Where would we be without the likes of Big Brother and Geordie Shore? C'mon, we've all got our guilty pleasures! (Although some are guiltier than others.)


I have to say, his outlook really sticks with me. I mean, who would think any more of a bottle of Coke? It's just a beverage and brand name that is constantly bubbling it's way through our culture. But what he says (below), really makes me think twice.

'What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.'

One of my favorite things about Andy Warhol is his unmistakably iconic look.
His 'Andy Suit'. Platinum wig, shades, striped tee or turtle neck and often times a leather jacket. He was a seriously cool looking guy. The epitome of cool. But that all changed and he began wearing suits all of the time when he almost died by attempted assassination. That shook the cool right out of him. He became a business man, obsessed with making as much money as possible. But hey, I won't hold him to that. I think I would be a bit shook too if a colleague of mine shot me several times!

Not that I think I could have a worldly iconic look, but as I am still finding my own style, I admittedly look toward Andy for inspiration sometimes! His look is so simple yet so crisp and sleek. He sets the standard!

He really has made his mark on my life, and the world around us. I just wish I could know what he would do if he was alive today.

     

Just a pic of Andy smoochin' John Lennon. For good measure like!