Visual Communication Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol was an a American artist who covered many aspects of the art world in his lifetime, including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, film, and music. As well as being an traditional artist, he was one of the pioneers of computer-generated art. He was also the leading figure in the Pop Art movement.

Sadly, when Andy Warhol was young he contracted Sydenham's chorea, also known as St. Vitus' Dance. This meant he had to spend several months confined to his bed. This caused him to miss out a lot of school work. He also became somewhat of an outcast with his classmates. While confined to his bed, Andy Warhol spent much of his time drawing, listening to the radio, and posting pictures of movie stars around his room. Later in life, Andy Warhol described this period as very important in the development of his personality and his skills.

From an early age Andy Warhol showed an interest and talent in art. He took classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art as a young teenager where he won several awards. Later he earned a degree in pictorial design at Carnegie Institute for Technology, now called Carnegie Mellon University. Whilst at Carnegie Institute for Technology, Andy's sometimes non-traditional drawing style meant that he was often given extra work to do over the summer. This was so he could keep up with the academic standards of the school. Once he graduated, Andy Warhol moved to New York to begin his commercial design career.

In the 1950s Andy developed his style in illustrations using a technique called "blotted-line". This was a mixture of drawing and printmaking and allowed him to create a variety of illustrations following a similar theme. Although the blotted-line technique allowed him to make similar illustrations, the process was a long and complex one. Andy needed to follow many steps before an illustration was finished. Even though the blotted-line technique was complex, it gave his art the dotted, broken and delicate lines that are characteristic of his illustrations. He would colour his illustration's with watercolour dyes, and sometimes even gold leaf, as well as use his own hand-carved rubber stamps to create patterns on his work. Andy Warhol made good use of the blotted-line technique when he was working as a commercial illustrator for the high end leather company Fleming Joffe, and when he worked as a designer for I Miller shoes.

It was in the 1960s after some time traveling the world that Andy Warhol moved onto painting on canvas. This eventually lead him to his Pop Art debut. The exhibitions were held at the Hugo Gallery, the Bodley Gallery in New York and in California. However, it was at the Stable Gallery in November 1962 that Warhol would have his first solo pop art exhibition. The works shown there included 100 Soup Cans, 100 Coke Bottles,100 Dollar Bills and one of Andy Warhol's most famous artworks, Marilyn Diptych. He would go on to print many other iconic American objects and celebrities such as Campbell's Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles, mushroom clouds, Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, Troy Donahue and Elizabeth Taylor.

Today Andy Warhol is known for his Pop Art. Most of his work is held in the Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Andy Warhol was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.