Andy Warhol Essay -- Biography

Hailed as the founding father of the Pop Art movement in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Andy Warhol, through his endeavors, brought forward societys obsession with mass culture and allowed it to become the subject of his art. He produced works that defied and challenged the popular notion of what art should be by disputing the traditional conventions pertaining to the uniqueness, authenticity, and authorship of art (Faerna 28). However, it is an injustice to say that Warhols goals primarily included the desire to create such a ground-breaking and salient style of American art or to entertain the public by making his own artistic contributions. Rather, Andy Warhols interests were more entwined in his own self-interest and greed. Although a fraction of Andy Warhols breathing in resided in his ambition to create a unique and exotic style of American art, his main motivation was purely materialistic and involved acquiring prominent sums of money and publicity to fuel his obsession wit h wealth and fame. Andy Warhols experiences throughout his difficult and poverty-stricken early life are one among many possible explanations for Warhols habituation to materialism later on in his life. Born on August 6, 1928 into the slums of Pittsburgh, Andy Warhol was the fourth child of working-class Slovakian immigrant parents who barely spoke English. As a child, Warhol developed chorea, an illness which causes abnormal involuntary movements. Consequently, this contributed to his isolation as a child as he was often bed-ridden and thus became an outcast at schooling (Gale American Decades). During his early years, he also developed a fascination for fame and recognition as he would constantly amass pictures of celebrities and movie sta... ...sted in the chemic processes that went into forming Oxidation Painting rather, he was more concerned with converting these bodily fluids into something precious and valuable. Oxidation Painting was an attempt by Warhol to projec t his persona into the media in rate to garner publicity and attention. Furthermore, Oxidation Painting remains as Warhols most economically valuable work. Now, twenty-three years after Warhols death, his caseful and art are on T-shirts, iPods, blue jeans, sunglasses, Christmas cards, handbags, skateboards and wallpaper. His reputation and popularity are both endless and his works of art continue to fetch enormous sums of money. Even with his death, Warhols name continues to be met with both publicity and infamy. Ultimately, Andy Warhols legacy lies with his outlandish and exotic style of art and his lust for materialism and wealth.