Discourse – Andy Warhol

Self-Portrait , 1966.

I couldn’t conclude my discourse entries without writing about Andy Warhol. One the most controversial and photographed American artists of the twentieth century, he continues to influence contemporary art practise and its conceptions to this day.

His source material was selected on the basis of causing intentional media frenzy, within a world that had recently become influenced by consumer culture. It all helped to further heighten his fame, for Warhol no subject was too controversial.

For me, it is the Warhol brand that interests me the most, an image that he carefully constructed. Famously self-conscious, it could be surprising that he produced a large portfolio of self-portraits throughout his career. But for Warhol it proved the most effective means of satisfying his desire for exposure, and enabled him control over how the world perceived him through the media. Like a chameleon, Warhol was a man of many disguises, he appears to convey a different image with each portrait, never revealing his true identity. He pushed self-promotion to the extreme; due to his media savviness his own fame eventually overshadowed that of his subjects, and ultimately helped to heighten their status further.

References

Books -

Schaffner I., (1999) The Essential Andy Warhol, The Wonderland Press.

Image taken from

https://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A6246&page_number=53&template_id=1&sort_order=1&artistFilterInitial=G