Lee 1
Anastasia Lee
Professor Cacoilo
ART 242 Self: Image
31 October 2018
Andy Warhol and Ana Mendieta Essay
Andy created colorful screens that grabbed the viewers attention. The subject of these images were based on society, such as celebrities and every day objects. Everything gets 15 minutes of fame, even if it is just a photo because it is the artist's job to make it famous.
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| Andy Warhol's Cambell Soup |
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| Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe
Ana Mendieta created less bright and more meaningful work. Her work grabbed people's attention because it was dark, horrifying, and included nature and her body, or a symbol of her body. She also showed her reality in her work.
Ana Mendieta's self- portrait
Ana Mendieta's Silueta
Both artists created work that they could relate to and hoped that it would be famous. John Berger stated his book the Ways of Seeing, "The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe"(8). The way Andy and Ana saw things was affected by what they knew and believed. Their experiences shaped their beliefs, values, and feelings, which reflected in their work.
Andy Warhol focused on a Hollywood theme, simple theme, and an everyday theme in some of his artwork. He was focused on fame, but also on objects that were seen or interacted with frequently. John Berger stated, "Freed from the boundaries of time and space, I co-ordinate any and all points of the universe, wherever I want them to be. My way leads towards the creation of a fresh perception of the world. Thus I explain in a new way the world unknown to you"(17). The art work can show anything. It is the artist who shows the viewer a different take on the world through their image. He tried changing society's view. He wanted glamour to represent all people and for people to appreciate what they have. This quote also relates to Ana Mendieta. Ana focused on a feminism theme and violence. Her work showed feminism and the violence experienced by women. She used her body in her work to get the message across. These themes are experienced in society at some point so the works of Andy and Ana are relatable to the viewers.
Their biographies influence their work. Andy was a sick child, who then spent a lot of time at home. Even before he got sick, he chose to do artistic things, such as draw. He was not a popular kid in a good way, but was noticed by acting and looking different. He preferred to do art instead of playing sports. He also had a horrible skin pigmentation problem. The time spent on being creativity and the looks he acquired during his childhood shows in his artwork. His art was simple, but different in his time and gained the fame that he strived for. His mind was always focused on being influenced by television. Ana came to the United States with her sister and grew up in an orphanage. Her life was sad. She experienced physical violence in her marriage. Being a woman, she faced feminism. Men were violent to her and possibly raped her, though she claims it happened to another girl at her college. The horrific things that she experienced herself and witnessed around her, showed in her work. Nature was influential to her, which is why she shows blood in images and her body in the ground in her other art. She felt dead and wanted to return with the earth. John Berger stated, "For it is quite clear that the nude also relates to lived sexuality"(53). As a woman, she felt and was treated like an object. To be nude like one is born in nature, is how she felt. She was showing her lived sexuality in her work, but preferred to be with nature. Both artist were definitely influenced by their background. The hardships they faced pushed them to create the successful and meaningful work. It essentially made them synonymous with their work. Andy viewed himself as a simple kid that would be famous one day. This reflected in his art because something as simple as a can of soup he made famous. He included famous people in his work, and everyday items and certain people due to his 15 minute of fame belief, which related to him because he hoped to be famous one day. He approached self-identity and produced the pop way focusing on the future. Ana viewed herself as having a rough life and it was shown in her bloody and nature styled work. It seems like she always wanted to return home, not to Cuba, but to mother nature. She was in her work either physically or symbolically. She did not focus on media and society. She focused on the origin of life and was a natural primordial goddess. Both artists died at the height of their career. They both felt like the victim and suffered.
Fame did play a role in both of their lives. Joanne Finkelstein stated in her book, The Art of Self Invention, "At minimum the self is bifurcated, it has a double; there is the conscious and unconscious, private and public, civilized and base, good and bad, and we can create ourselves as well-rounded beings from the management of these seemingly opposed elements," (126). The artists created their self image in their work. A person can feel and be two different people, but they only show one at a time in the work they do. The two ways an artist is portrayed is shown in both of their artwork. Andy's work is about famous things or people and things that are not famous yet. Ana also longs for fame and uses her work to show violence and peace in nature.
Each of the artists used materials to address some of the themes. Andy was fast paced. He used vibrant color and a simple portrait of something or someone repeated to show its importance. This technique stands out like his appearance does and acknowledges the thought that if something is printed multiple times that it is supposed to be shown and noticed because it is valuable. He used people with extreme personalities that liked to talk and looked good. The materials and techniques were important to the subjects they depicted. Ana took her time and used materials, such as blood, things in nature, and her body to address some of her themes. She did not go for the Hollywood look and did not talk in her work. The earthly materials such as blood, twigs, rocks, etc. show nature. Her body was included in the work, whether it was physically there, or left as an imprint. This gets her idea across to the viewer. Both artist worked hard and hoped to be recognized by the world one day.
Works Cited
Berger, John, and Michael Dibb. Ways of Seeing: Based on the BBC Television Series Directed by Michael Dibb. British Broadcasting Corporation, 2008.
Finkelstein, Joanne. The Art of Self Invention: Image and Identity in Popular Visual Culture. I.B. Taurus, 2007.
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