Cataloguing a Life
Andy Warhol, one of the most impactful artists to lead the pop art movement, has catalogued his life in much the same way Nick Cave does in Faith, Hope and Carnage, albeit over a longer period of time.
Although Warhol has been cited to perform artwork under more solitary conditions, in contrast to Cave's explicit desire to work alongside others and develop ideas in tandem, Warhol depicts the struggles he had faced in a manner highly similar to Cave's candid discussions of his grief, fears, and anxieties. A gay man and asexual, Warhol lived prior to the gay liberation movement and was unable to produce art which outwardly connected to his sexuality -- many critics and institutions rejected his pieces which focused on erotic photography and drawings of male nudes. Despite this, Warhol continued to create such art: this baseless criticism from others held no weight, stating that he "decided [he] just wasn't going to care, because those were all the things that [he] didn't want to change anyway, that [he] didn't think [he] 'should' want to change ... Other people could change their attitudes but not [him]."
Similar to Cave, Warhol's artwork was also influenced by his faith. A Ruthenian Catholic, he described himself as a religious person and attended mass every Sunday. His later works focused heavily on religious themes, some going so far as to cause the Guggenheim to declare the work "obsessed" with faith -- in particular, the Last Supper.
Warhol's artwork catalogued every aspect of his life, via as many mediums as possible. From sculpture and fashion, to television and performance art, Andy Warhol cemented himself in the world of art despite the prejudice he faced at the time, and the candidness he displayed via his pieces.
Hi Daniel, great post! I am really interested by Warhol and his art was definitely impactful and reflective. Warhol was also famous for his studio "The Factory," where he would surround himself with a collective of artists, including his 'superstars' and the band The Velvet Underground. Though he didn't actually create his paintings or artwork with his entourage, I think that Warhol may have found inspiration from others and then used that inspiration to create artwork by himself.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel, I enjoyed reading your post! As someone who's also readying the Nick Cave novel and enjoys Andy Warhol's work, I feel that you did a great job showing the contrast and similarities between the artists.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought Andy Warhol had a unique personality, but I never knew how being gay and asexual showed up in works. I'm mainly familiar with his pop art style, so reading about another side of his creativity like his erotic photography was interesting. It doesn't surprise me that Warhol ignored criticism telling him to change, as I've heard that he had quite a bold personality and always created what he wanted.
It was also interesting to see the parallels between Nick Cave and Andy Warhol. I never realized Warhol was religious or obsessed with his faith nearing the end of his career, but I see how he may have had similar creative influences as Cave. I also find it compelling how both Cave and Warhol were more countercultural in their youth while leaning into their faith in their later life. Looking at how religion played into their lives, I feel that it shows how religion grows in influence as people grow older.
Daniel! I love this post- I learned so much about Andy Warhol that I hadn't thought about before. I thought it was interesting that his art focused heavily on his identity as a queer man and a religious person.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that "other people could change their attitudes but not [him]" really stood out to me. I agree that people should create art to express their various identities and if people have a problem with it, they need to address their own opinions, not critique the artist's identity.
I also think it is interesting that Warhol prefers creating in solitude. I wrote about Keith Haring and found out that he creates a lot in collaboration with other artists and creators. They both create art that reflects their identities but Warhol seems more independent while Haring seems more community-focused.
I really enjoyed reading this post! I did not know much about Andy Warhol and did not realize that his sexuality and religion influenced so much of his work. I think it is interesting that Warhol was outcasted from the art world because of his sexuality and yet attended mass every Sunday as a Catholic. Historically the Catholic religion has been known to not be accepting of queer people. I think this just further displays his willingness to ignore other peoples' judgements and live his life the way that was most true to him.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel!!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed learning so much about Andy Warhol. I always enjoyed his artwork, but knew very little about him as a person. Your connection to the Nick Cave book was also very interesting, for the two creatives were quite similar yet different. He is also such an inspiration to all people facing prejudices. His attitude towards his work and the world is impressive. I also did not know about Warhol's deep faith and how his connection to his faith even showed up in many of his pieces. Thank you so much for sharing this and I learned so much about Andy Warhol!
I really enjoyed this post! As someone who doesn't know much about Andy Warhol or Nick Cave, I found the parallels you drew between their lives, and how their struggles influenced their art to be very interesting. I feel like everyone has seen Warhol's most famous works, or at least something inspired by them, but it feels like a much fuller picture to know the motivation behind them.
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