The Influence of Celebrities through Pop Art during the Mid-Modern Art Era

 Andy Warhol

Jackie O by Andy Warhol - 1964 

Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn) by Andy Warhol -1964

       Warhol's art takes celebrity images and turns them into works of art. His pieces contradicted the traditional notions of what is considered art. Warhol used images of well-known celebrities at the time i.e. Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe and turned their pictures into art. His take on art blurred the lines between art and pop culture. Many of his pieces reflected a societal obsession with fame and image and turned that and created a lasting impact on the art world and popular culture at that time. 

    What drew me to these two pictures in particular was.

1. The bright contrasting colors, and the overall color scheme of these two pictures

2. The people portrayed, let's be honest who DOESN'T know of Marilyn Monroe and / or Jacqueline Kennedy. 

3. The sheer fact that I recognized the picture of Marilyn, as I have seen it before but never knew it was an actual legit piece of art. 

    I feel that the pictures I chose for this section highlight the influence of celebrities, and how they had an impact on art during that time. The pictures chosen above have two well-known women, as if you don't necessarily know about them, you know of them. As well as Marilyn Monroe was a highly influential woman at the time, even after her death she was still a significant woman during this era.  

Roy Lichtenstein 

Mailyn Monroe by Roy Lichtenstein - 1963 

Blonde Waiting by Roy Lichtenstein - 1964

    Roy Lichtenstein is a well-known pop culture artist with a very distinctive art style. He carved a name for himself through creating works that mimic advertisements and comic strips. He connected the world of Pop Culture and fine art by creating images with celebrities that are universally recognizable. Lichtenstein was influenced by Andy Warhol, he incorporated well known figures, such as Marilyn Monroe, and bridged the gap between the celebrity world and fine art world. 

    What stood out to me with these images was that exact notion. The fact that both of the images looked very similar to comic strips. I also like the distinctive style that connects both of these pictures together, like you can tell that they were made by the same artist. 

    I had chosen these specific images as they fit the theme, similar to Warhol, Lichtenstein knew how to connect popular culture references and use them to reflect on the impact of celebrity culture during this time period. Lichtenstein perpetuated the notion of the growing popularity of certain influential figures at the time. 

 Richard Hamilton 

My Marilyn by Richard Hamilton 1965

Fashon-Plate by Richard Hamilton 1969

    Richard Hamilton used elements such as collages and familiar aspects in his artwork. His display of My Marilyn in such a fragmented and disorienting way reflected how media distorts and deconstructs celebrities through imagery. While Fashon-Plate showcases the public's interest in the artificial nature of the fashion scene. Hamilton used the exploration of celebrities and the media influence to engage his audience. He used his innovative techniques and perspectives to view the role of celebrities in society. 

    These two pieces of artwork stood out to me out of the several other pieces by Hamilton, because there is just something about how unique his style is. Hamilton not only embraced the public interest of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, but also the public interest of fashion and how easily it can be distorted. 

My Thoughts 

    Out of the three artists I reviewed for this blog, my most favorite is Roy Lichtenstein. I personally like his style and how cartoony his pieces are. One thing I want to express is I find it interesting that each artist, Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Hamilton, all had their own unique style. As well as each had their own rendition of Marilyn Monroe. I found that the most interesting while searching for works of art to share in this blog post. Each artist had a portrait of Marilyn, but each portrait was unique to each artist. I feel just seeing that three different people had made their own piece of art about Marilyn Monroe just goes to show just how influential and how popular she was during the mid-modern art era. 

Britannica. “Andy Warhol.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Feb. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Andy-Warhol.

“Roy Lichtenstein | Biography, Artworks, & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Roy-Lichtenstein. 

Sooke, Alastair. “Richard Hamilton and the Work That Created Pop Art.” Www.bbc.com, 24 Aug. 2015, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150824-richard-hamilton-and-the-work-that-created-pop-art. 

Modern Era Blog

The Influence of WWI 

World War 1 had a profound impact on art during the early modern era. The brutality of the war led to a distinct shift in art style and subject matter. 

L.H.O.O.Q by Marcel Duchamp, 1919

Dadaism   

    One of the most distinct styles that emerged post WW1 was, Dadaism. Dadaism is an anti-art movement that strived on the senselessness and absurdity of the war. Dada artists embraced the concepts of chaos and irrationality. They commonly used satire and unconventional materials to further ideals. L.H.O.O.Q is a prime example as it was created from a post card of Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa. Duchamp's intention with this piece was to feature elements of satire and he rejected the idea of aesthetic high-class art. Duchamp added a mustache and goatee to express the satirical and unserious ideals of dada artists. 

My Nursemaid by Meret Oppenheim 1936

Surrealism

          

    Surrealism emerged after WW1 as a result of the psychological trauma inflicted by the war. Within surrealism artists explored the unconscious mind and dream like imagery, many artists used the subconscious as a way to process the trauma resulted from the war. Meret Oppenheim specialized in surrealism. She is most known for her object, a fur covered teacup, saucer, and spoon in 1936. She also created pieces such as My Nurse / My nursemaid, that evoked eroticism. Although she specialized in surrealism, she is more known for her Swiss Surrealism. 

Dr. Mayer-Hermann by Otto Dix 1926

Expressionism

        As a result of the horror and brutality of the war, the Expressionist movement was born. The whole purpose of the movement was to convey the emotional experience, instead of the physical reality. Otto dix depicted the brutal realities of war, he often depicted these brutalities through anger and disillusionment. Dix was a German printmaker and painter whose personal experience from serving in the war influenced his work greatly. His paintings depict the intense reality of combat and the aftermath. 

My Opinion 

    My personal favorite of all the styles of art I picked for this exhibit is expressionism. Expressionism "expresses" deep emotional experiences, such as realistic representations of the horrors of the war. Personally I have always had a profound interest in the World Wars, and the art that was created as a result of the wars has always held a strong emotional response. I find with expressionism, it depicts intense feelings of anger and grief post WW1. 

Blumberg, N. (n.d.). Meret Oppenheim | Swiss artist. Encyclopedia Britannica.  

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Meret-Oppenheim

Dadaism - Art and Anti Art. (2019). Artyfactory.com. https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm

Davis, C. (2020, May 13). Dadaism: 10 Iconic Artworks from the Dada Art Movement. The Collector. https://www.thecollector.com/dadaism-art-of-dada/

Polyzoidou, S. (2021, August 4). 6 Artists Who Depicted Traumatic & Brutal Experiences of World War I. TheCollector. https://www.thecollector.com/artists-who-depicted-traumatic-brutal-experiences-ww1/