For this virtual essay, I have chosen to complete option 1, and I was
inspired by Andy Warhol, and I attempted to mimic a self-portrait he completed
of himself. Andy Warhol, although more recognized for his paintings and films,
used colour as his inspiration. Warhol is best known for his use of pop art,
mostly taken in inspiration of consumer goods and celebrities (Biography,
2012). As an internationally acclaimed artist, Warhol revolutionized art in the
1950s up until his death in 1987 (Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, 2012). Warhol
used his radical works in art that created different ways to express his
opinions to society of the era, so that the public voice may rely on their own
imaginations (Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, 2012). Due to the fact that his
works were extremely ambiguous and created multiple interpretations of what his
work attempted to represent, society became intrigued by his works then, and
still do so today (Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, 2012). Andy Warhol is a very
important artist, as he challenged traditional boundaries in art, as well as in
life, and showcased his love for art in a non-boundary practice and felt that
virtually anything can become art (Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, 2012).
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| Warhol self-portrait. http://unravelinghistory.tumblr.com/page/2 |
I felt intrigued by the use of colour expressionism and phrases that Warhol
attached in his images, and wanted to create a similar set of photo. To make my
photographs similar to the work of Warhol, I asked my sister to pose similar to
those of Warhol in his images. After doing so, I used pixlr.com and edited to
images to create a similar saturated effect that Warhol achieved in his images.
I then adjusted to colours to somewhat resemble those he used, and then
attaching the same line that is captioned in each photo.
I think that this photo in particular is of importance because of Warhol’s
struggles in his life. Warhol was out casted prior to his fame, and looked upon
as a misfit, especially due to his homosexual lifestyle (Carnegie Museums of
Pittsburgh, 2012). This self-portrait of images created by Warhol, in a sense
provides his self-confidence in himself as well as in his art. Warhol’s
self-portrait, as well as others photos of himself, tries to convey messages
about him as an artist and a human being (Spens,
2005). The self-portrait of him expresses all the identities he took on as ‘masks’
and his complex personal identity (Spens, 2005).
With that said, I felt
that this photo would be a good source to inspire my own photos. I chose to as
my sister to be the model in my photos because as an individual whom is
multi-facet and has many dimensions to her personality. I felt that since my
sister is in her teenage years making a transition to a young adult, these
colours and phrases captioned into the photos fit well with her, which provided
me my end result in the five photos I have created, inspired by Warhol.
I feel that the style used
by Andy Warhol in his self-portray really convey messages of his life style and
him as a person, which I found much inspiration in. I felt that it would be
interesting to see an older teenager become represented by the colour and
phrases used in the image by Warhol. I feel that may end result is quite
similar to Warhol’s and really captures who Warhol and my sister really are. I
feel that these phrases and colours in this style Warhol created can fit into
almost any personality, which is really where my inspiration stemmed from, as I
have a background in psychology and this interests me. The images I have
created and those created by Warhol in his self-portray really attempt to stir
the critically thinking skills of audiences looking at the images, trying to
find meaning in what exactly the see in the photographs.
References
Biography.
(2012). Andy warhol biography. Biography.com.
Retrieved April 1, 2012, from www.biography.com/people/andy-warhol-9523875
Carnegie
Museums of Pittsburgh. (2012). Warhol: exposures 1970s gallery. The Andy
Warhol Museum. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://www.warhol.org/andy_work.aspx?id=429
Spens,
C. S. C. (2005). Andy Warhol Self-Portraits. Studio International - Visual
Art, Design and Architecture. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://www.studio-international.co.uk/painting/warhol_4_05.asp
Warhol
self-portrait. http://unravelinghistory.tumblr.com/page/2
