2. My Early Life
• Born August 6, 1928
• Birth name is Andrew Warhola
• Grew up in ghetto area in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
• Parents: Julia Zavacky and Ondrej
Warhola
– From Carpatho Ruthenia (area in the
Carpathian Mountains)
3. My Early Life (continued)
• Youngest child in family
– Other brothers were Paul and John
• Attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology
after high school
– Today known as Carnegie-Mellon University
– I majored in pictorial design
4. The Big City
• Moved to New York City in 1949 with my
classmate, Phillip Pearlstein
• First jobs included:
– Illustrating shoe advertisements and recipes
• After a year, I became very successful as a
commercial artist
– Did images for magazines, such as Glamour
– Worked for the art department of the I. Miller shoe
store
5. The Epiphany
• I was making a name for myself in commercial
art
• But, by the mid-1950s I wanted to step away
VS
from commercial art and create fine art
• I would have never been able to become a
fine artist or make a big imprint in the history
of art if I was not fascinated by pop culture
and if I did not ask others for ideas
Commercial Art Pop Art
6. Influence #1: Popular Culture
• It all started when I joined the Shirley Temple
fan club
• When you joined the club, she sent an
autograph in return
• I treasured that autograph
• At on point I wanted to be a tap dancer just like
her
– “I never wanted to be a painter. I wanted to be a tap
dancer”
7. Influence #1: Popular Culture
(continued)
• My exposure to popular culture continued
when I was diagnosed with rheumatic fever at
the age of 8
• What is rheumatic fever?
– It causes a child to have a weak heart and crippling
arthritis
• My condition worsened when the fever became
chorea, which is a complication of rheumatic
fever
8. Influence #1: Popular Culture
(continued)
• Bed rest was the only treatment for chorea
• During this time I would
– collect pictures of celebrities
– listen to the radio
– read comics
• I liked the images in the comics so I “used to get wax
paper and get the comic strip and trace it and get the
impression”
9. Influence #1: Popular Culture
(continued)
• The activities I did during my bed rest exposed
me to pop culture
• This led to my appeal with popular items and
celebrities
• A great deal of my work has been influenced
by popular culture
• For example:
10.
11. Influence #1: Popular Culture
(continued)
• As I got more famous, my fascination with pop
culture continued
• In 1963 I had created a studio in New York City
known as the Factory
• The environment was composed of many
social gatherings where I could learn about
new trends in fashion, music, or art and then
incorporate them into masterpieces
12. Influence #2: Asking Others
• Some of my best work had come from my
friends
• I would ask people ideas for new pieces
• “I was never embarrassed about asking
someone, literally, ‘What should I paint?’
because Pop comes from the outside and how
is asking someone for ideas any different from
looking for them in a magazine?...”
13. Influence #2: Asking Others
(continued)
• Conversation with Muriel Latow, who is an
interior decorator, has provided me with a life
changing idea
• Decemeber 1961:
– We were both at a party
– I was telling everyone that I did not know what to
draw next
– Latow said she would give me an idea, if I paid her
fifty dollars for it
– She said, “You like money. You should paint that. And
you should paint something that everybody sees
everyday…like cans of soup”
14. Influence #2: Asking Others
(continued)
• Those words hatched the subject matter for
my upcoming pieces that had changed
everything
• I created my “Rolls of Bills” and “Campbell’s
Soup Can” pieces
• These pieces changed the world’s perspective
on modern art and helped me create a name
for myself
15.
16. My Impact
• My art would have never changed the outlook
on modern art if I was not influenced by
people’s ideas and pop culture
– Pop culture is what made me create new
viewpoints on famous objects and people
• Which caused people to perceive every day objects in a
new way
– Asking others had given me an insight on what
people are interested in at the moment and had
helped me create some of my best work
• Which opened doors to new ideas for modern art
17. Works Cited for Images
• "NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEW: Andy Warhol by Bond No. 9 15 Minutes Draw | Cafleurebon - Fragrance Is a Language of Translating the
World." NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEW: Andy Warhol by Bond No. 9 15 Minutes Draw | Cafleurebon - Fragrance Is a Language of
Translating the World. Web. 28 May 2012. <http://www.cafleurebon.com/new-fragrance-review-andy-warhol-by-bond-no-9-15-
minutes-draw/>.
• "NEW YORK ART STUDIO." : Carnegie Mellon University. Web. 28 May 2012. <http://ny-artstudio.blogspot.com/2011/05/carnegie-
mellon-university.html>.
• "New York State Psychiatric Association." New York State Psychiatric Association. Web. 28 May 2012.
<http://www.nyspsych.org/Pages/default.aspx>.
• "Andy Warhol." Andy Warhol. Web. 28 May 2012. <http://animation.monline.dk/a10/artists_a10/warhol/>.
• Sarah. "The My Hero Project - Shirley Temple-Black." Myhero.com. Web. 28 May 2012.
<http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=S_TempleBlack_dnhs_US_2010_ul>.
• "Bilingual Laboratory 1º E.S.O." Bilingual Laboratory 1º E.S.O.: A Brief History of Comic. Web. 28 May 2012.
<http://bilinguallaboratory1eso.blogspot.com/p/brief-history-of-comic.html>.
• Porter, Richard. "Richard Porter's Blog." : Andy Warhol's Jackie Kennedy 1963. Web. 28 May 2012.
<http://richardporterwritechatmessage.blogspot.com/2011/06/andy-warhols-jackie-kennedy-1963.html>.
• P, Avery. "Image vs. Substance: Perceptions of Beauty." : "Elizabeth Taylor" by Andy Warhol (1963). Web. 29 May 2012.
<http://beautyovertime.blogspot.com/2011/05/elizabeth-taylor-by-andy-warhol-1963_15.html>.
• "If It's Hip, It's Here: Mod Mickeys: The Modernization of Disney's Mickey Mouse." If It's Hip, It's Here: Mod Mickeys: The Modernization
of Disney's Mickey Mouse. Web. 29 May 2012. <http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2007/12/mod-mickeys-modernization-of-
disneys.html>.
• "HumanitiesWeb.org - "Superman" by Andy Warhol [Selected Works]." HumanitiesWeb.org - "Superman" by Andy Warhol [Selected
Works]. Web. 29 May 2012. <http://www.humanitiesweb.org/spa/gcp/ID/1076>.
• "ANDY WARHOL Flower 1964. Pop Art, Edition Prints and Original Paintings for Sale."ANDY WARHOL Flower 1964. Pop Art, Edition Prints
and Original Paintings for Sale. Web. 29 May 2012. <http://www.gallerywarhol.com/andy-warhol-flowers-1964-FS-II.6.htm>.
• Johannes. "Montevidayo." Strange Factories and Star Fuckers: Andy Warhol, Gunnar Björling and Henry Parland -. Web. 29 May 2012.
<http://www.montevidayo.com/?p=2313>.
• "Poisonous Pulchritude." - From 1967 to 1973, Warhol's Factory Was Located On... Web. 29 May 2012.
<http://poisonous.tumblr.com/post/334699849/from-1967-to-1973-warhols-factory-was-located-on>.
• "ROOM VIEW SHOWCASE." Art.com. Web. 29 May 2012. <http://www.art.com/products/p13718870-sa-i2703505/andy-warhol-roll-of-
bills-c1962.htm>.
• Wallace, Natasha. "Andy Warhol 's Campbell's Soup Can." Andy Warhol 's Campbell's Soup Can. Web. 29 May 2012.
<http://jssgallery.org/other_artists/andy_warhol/campbells_soup_can.htm>.
18. Works Cited for Info.
• Byers, Paula K., ed. “Andy Warhol.” Encyclopedia of World
Biograghy. Volume 16. Detroit,
• Michigan: Gale Research, 1998. Print. 27 Volumes.
• Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop.
New York: Delacorte Press.
• 2004. Print.
• Moritz, Charles, ed. “Warhol, Andy.” Current Biography Yearbook,
1986. New York: The H.W.
• Wilson Company, 1986. 588-591. Print.
• Salvo, Donna De. “Andy Warhol.” American National Biography. Ed.
John A. Garraty. Vol 22.
• New York: American Council of Leonard Societies, 1999. Print. 24
Volumes.
• Shanes, Eric. Andy Warhol. Rochester, UK: Grange Books, 2005.
Print.
19. • All cited images in this project are used under
the Fair Use interpretation of copyright laws.
All others are used by permission.