Art History 4

Matt Russo Humanities 313 Dr. Sattler Art Discovery Art Analysis When analyzing artwork, one should not simply look at the picture at face value, but rather look in depth at the meaning as to why depict that specific setting, colors, and scene. The artist, Andy Warhol, is a unique artist. His artwork is anything but typical; he often uses random objects and arranges them in a specific way to create a symbolic meaning and calls it art. After studying his technique, I have found the meaning behind the paintings, “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and “200 One Dollar Bills” by Andy Warhol. The painting, “Campbell’s Soup Cans,” by Andy Warhol, was completed in 1962. These 32 soup cans each are 20 inches by 16 inches and arranged in a 4x8 pattern (Fiero, 65). Many wondered why Warhol would choose to create such a bizarre display. Once he stopped creating cartoon art, a friend named Muriel Latow came up with the idea to create the 32 soup cans. French artist, Marcel Duchamp, said, “If you take a Campbell Soup can and repeat it fifty times, you are not interested in the retinal image. What interests you is the concept that wants to put fifty Campbell soup cans on a canvas" (Fiero, 66). After the success of this artwork, Warhol created more and more variations involving Campbell’s soup can such as, “Crushed Campbell’s Soup Can,” “Campbell’s Soup with Can Opener,” and “Torn Campbell’s Soup Can.” Warhol became known as a simplistic artist, but was highly respected (Fiero, 66). Andy Warhol’s type of artwork is known as Pop Art. He created each individual can of soup with synthetic polymer paint on canvas. Warhol knew that if he wanted to make art from mass-produced objects, he would not be able to simply paint them. The

idea of using synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen creates the image of mass-production in America because silkscreen is the commercial form of printmaking used in t-shirts (Fiero, 66). Warhol’s artwork symbolized mass production of items in America. Warhol created

Cited: Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. Boston: McGraw Hill, . Print.