An Analysis of Andy Warhol's Gold Marilyn Monroe (1962) Essay

The painting depicts a single female figure as the centerpiece of the composition. The female figure is nude and holds a vase with water pouring out to the right side of it. The water around the figure is symbolic of the birth of the goddess Aphrodite

The centerpiece of the piece is obviously Mary, though she is on the right side of the painting. In one hand she holds an open bible, and she holds her other hand up in prayer while she is looking down with her eyes almost completely shut. She has a halo surrounding her head as gold rays shine down on her

The woman is displayed from waist up in the central position on the canvas. She appears to be nude, her left breast exposed. Her face is upturned, gazing at something above the top of the composition. Her eyes are large and glassy; reflective pools. Her skin is clear and pale, a sign of youth and beauty. Her lips are slightly parted, and they are full and soft red in colour. The kitten looks up, at the same object as the woman. It has grey fur, red/pink rimmed eyes, ears and claws. The kitten digs it’s claws into the hand of the woman, which she holds beside her chest, cupping her hand, palm up. The kitten rests against her chest and grasps her hand, suggesting a bond or relationship between the two.

The painting actually reflects what seems to be her own personal life while carrying on a biblical theme as well. The image shows that the exposed women has her head turn and her feet positioned as if she were trying to get away from the situation

After the World War II, the United States went through a time were economic and political growth. This was time when Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe were the peak of their fame and television had replaced the radio. In the 1950’s and the 1960’s there was a new cultural revolution. This new cultural revolution of activists, thinkers, and artists. This was the time were new generation of artists were appeared in Britain and in the United States. During the late 1950’s the pop artists began to look for inspiration in everyday things. They were getting inspiration from consumer goods and mass media. They began with bold colors, and they also adopted the silk-screening. They also established and idea were there work had its own originality. Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were very aware of the past however there idea was to connect fine art with pop culture. There ideas came straight from the televisions, advertisements, films, and cartoons. Nevertheless the famous creations of Warhol and Lichtenstein and other artist, managed to stamp the 1950 and 1960 as the pop art era.

The portrait is displayed horizontally with a gold trimmed frame. The subject is a female that looks to be in her early 20’s sitting upright on a large brown chair. If the viewer travels up the painting the first indication of the woman’s class is her satin, blue dress. The saturated blue shines and falls in the light like water. Paired with the dress are her exceptionally detailed endings to her sleeves. The lace is even painted as though it is translucent, allowing a little of the blue dress to show through the sleeve. Flowers throughout history have symbolized innocence of a woman and her virginity. The repeating theme of flowers, in the sleeve cuffs and ribbon) in the woman’s attired suggests her purity or innocent nature. Another very details section of the painting includes the corset/torso details. The sewing suggests texture in the torso with small beading in between. Towards the top of the chest in the center, the female seems to bear an extravagant, ribbon piece with a tear drop bead in the center. The light pink

In order to discuss pop art I have chosen to examine the work and to some extent lives of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol who were two of the main forces behind the American movement. I intend to reflect the attitudes of the public and artists in America at this time, while examining the growing popularity of pop art from its rocky, abstract expressionist start in the 1950s through the height of consumer culture in the 60s and 70s to the present day.

Why did Andy Warhol choose to use famous people to represent pop-art? Warhol used his process throughout the 1960s to reproduce multiple portraits of celebrities, including Marilyn Diptych, Michael Jackson , Elizabeth TaylorV and Mao. Andy Warhol duplicated images of mass-produced commercial prints, using famous people, suggesting that the media marketed celebrities just like products. Warhol, was fascinated with the rich and famous since his childhood.

The focal point in this artwork is of a young woman standing on the right side of the painting, wearing a white veil and a short dark blue coat

The theme of the painting is religious and spiritual. Andy Warhol depicted Monroe as a martyr most notably by the golden brown paint. In death, Marilyn was worshiped and adored all over the world just like Mary Mother of Jesus. Andy Warhol’s purpose for the painting was to pay tribute to the late Monroe after her death in August 1962. During the production of the painting, Warhol captured Marilyn Monroe as his muse in various mediums. Warhol began silk screening Monroe’s image numerous times in a grid in radiant colors and in black and white. The “Gold Marilyn Monroe” painting brought him to the realization that personas could be fabricated and commercialized by the public. My personal thought on the painting is that Marilyn is shown as a goddess. Marilyn’s beauty and grace are depicted so effortlessly. However, when I am viewing her smile, I feel saddened. Marilyn’s smile seems to hide the pain she felt in life and the inner demons she was struggling

One of his jobs was to design the weather map for NBC’s morning news. In 1952 Warhol held his first exhibit, it was not a financial success, but it enhanced Warhol’s reputation as a commercial artist. But his spare time was now taken up with pop art, inspired by Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, two young pop artist, Warhol had come across in 1958. He began to paint, draw and print everyday objects such as, dollar bills, soup cans, postage stamps, comic strips, and soda bottles. According to Warhol, these were some of the consumer products “on which America is built.”

Pop Art emerged in Britain in the late 50’s and the United States in the early 60’s.(Mamiya 1992) Pop Art is generally known today as a representation of celebrating popular culture and consumerism, however it’s background and origins are far more broad and extensive. There are many factors and influences that lead to the creation of the Pop Art movement such as adjusting to life after World War II, new technological advances that lead to mass cooperate growth, the evolution of Abstract Expressionism and also social issues in the media such as feminism. (Smith 2001; Mamiya 1992) Many of these factors overlap and act as a catalyst in the creation of Neodadaism and eventually Pop Art. (Livingstone 1992) Pop Art does not have a soul distinct style nor just one major influence and this can be proven by looking at key artists of the movement such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and James Rosenquist as well as female Pop artists such as Martha Rosler. (Brauer, Edwards, Finch & Hopps 2001) Exploring these artists and the major influences of their work will break down Pop Art and establish the movement’s purpose as well as its evolution.

The artist I choose is Salvador Dali. He is known to be a surrealist artist. Creating piece of art from his dream, and straight from his imagination. The painting you see above is called the Dream. Where he has painted his wife facing away from us. Salvador Deli has painted his wife twice in this picture. The first time you see her is her back up close. Where you can see the artwork he had created before on her back. Probably to show her current feeling at the time. Like she is helpless. Then, he has drawn her a second time. This, time it looks like she is fading away. Giving us a feeling that something has over taken her body, or she has just given up on something major. Allowing herself to fade away into the sky. Other person you see in the

Several well-known figures such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenburg were artists of the pop art era. Warhol took commercial items such as cans of Campbell’s Soup and celebrities such as Elvis Presley, and put their

Pop art got its name from Lawrence Alloway, who was a British art critic in 1950’s. The name “Pop Art” reflected on the “familiar imagery of the contemporary urban environment” (kleiner, 981). This art form was popular for its bold and simple looks plus its bright and vibrant colors. An example of this type of art is the oil painting done by Andy Warhol, “Marilyn Diptych” (Warhol, Marilyn Diptych) in 1962. The Pop art movement became known in the mid-1950 and continued as main type of art form until the late 1960’s. The Pop art movement, was a movement where medium played a huge part in the society, with it reflecting on advertisements, comic strips and even celebrities, like Marilyn. This movement also has a large