Andy Warhol Exhibit- Schwayder Art Building (University of Denver)

Photograph of Andy Warhol
by Mark Sink

The Andy Warhol Exhibit in Colorado is composed of 158 of his Polaroids and silver prints that the Andy Warhol Foundation donated to the University of Denver in 2008. It also includes photographs of Warhol taken by Colorado artists like John Bonath, Valere Harris Shane, and Mark Sink, who were all in his inner circle of friends. Warhol was fascinated by the goings of everyday, ordinary life, and his artwork shows how ordinary snapshots can become meaningful, beautiful, and sometimes darkly fascinating with vibrant colors. Like Richard Avedon, Warhol was so involved with portraiture because he thought that people were the most fascinating subjects. He said, “people are so fantastic that you can’t take a bad picture of them.”

Sticky Fingers

Warhol’s photographs are mostly taken of his friends and often reflect very defined and traditional gender roles, as men appear serious and working, and women appear beautiful, carefree, and with sex appeal. Warhol, however, was very interested in human sexuality, and willing to deviate from the social constructions of masculinity and femininity, which is attested by his Ladies and Gentlemen (1974) series of photographs of transvestites in Grenich Village. Many of his photographs were erotic and even pornographic, and many of the subjects of these images were homosexuals. This is also evidenced by his series of 5 silkscreens of Jagger, which is androgynous themed. Warhol went through a phase where he was fascinated by the motif of biting and licking. One of my favorite pieces was the cover of the 1971 Rolling Stones album cover, Sticky Fingers, which shows the members of the band biting themselves or each other.

            Warhol is mot famous for his pop art and celebrity imagery. Though he critiqued commercialism, he often reimaged mercantile brand name products, like his most famous piece of a Campbell’s soup can, and used them as an art form. He was interested in brand name products, because they served the same purpose for everyone, and every American uses them, whether rich or poor. He said that he was so fascinated by Hollywood because everyone there is plastic, and he loves plastic. Some of his quotes, which were playing on a movie screen projecting his images, seemed very strange to me. Warhol was absolutely fascinated by the artificial, and even said that if he could he would be a machine, because life would be easier that way.

He also said that he wants everybody to like everybody and for everyone to be alike. He also said that he likes to remain a mystery, but that there is nothing deeper to know about him then what the eye sees on the surface of him and his art work. Some of the large and colorful silkscreens displayed in the exhibit are of icons like Superman, Dracula, Santa Clause, Uncle Sam, and Mickey Mouse. Many of his silkscreens are in series’, which use different colors, like those of Mohammad Ali and Mao Zedong. I really liked his serigraph of a turtle, which incorporates beautiful blues, greens, and oranges, and his silkscreen cow wallpaper of different sized pink cow heads against a yellow background.

            I really like Warhol’s style of art and respect his willingness to deviate from what was considered tolerable in the art world. His work has captured the imaginations of millions of people around the world, and he will continue to be remembered as one of the most influential artists of all times.