Warhol Selfie

An inspired Andy Warhol art style of Elizabeth Taylor

     Andy Warhol’s art was truly made, and influenced by the people, time, and place he surrounded himself with. New York was the mecca of the art, and film world; and Warhol had to be included. In addition to his use of popular, glamorous icons, his color sense stayed true to the very bright era of the 60s. The mode was psychedelic colors, clashing with the natural desert colored hues. The burnt sienna, avocado, and harvest gold were just the tips of the colors expressed in every day fashion. With the more experimental side testing out colors such as, lemon chrome, bright violet, and cyan blue. It’s evident Warhol was creating a new type of style on his canvas when placing the light pink with the contrasting baby blue on Marilyn Monroe’s face and eyes. The exaggerated look was new, and commercial. Warhol knew the era he was living in was an advertisement filled life, where “… advertising [was] not only about selling goods but… more about prescribing ways of living…” (Finkelstein 153). Keeping Warhol’s unique vision, and inspiration, I created a digitally sixties infusion color image. Fortunately for me, I was able to achieve a part of Warhol’s look by editing, brightening, and contrasting different levels of the image. I made sure to keep the staple: a solid, sort of out-of-place background color. All that was left was to use a marvelous, preferably a woman, beautiful icon, who also had their fair share of tragedies. So I chose Elizabeth Taylor. Why Elizabeth Taylor, why not another glitz actress? In short, she’s everything I’m not. But most importantly she symbolized classic Hollywood. The glamorous actress, whose life off-screen was as equally exciting, and dramatic as her portrayal of characters in movies.