From the famous Marilyn pop art with cyan lids to the seemingly eternal ‘Che Guevara’ contrasted portrait that has become a logo as recognizable as Nike’s swoosh, Warhol’s legacy lives on even today.

Let’s have a deeper look at these 10 interesting facts about Andy Warhol, king of the Pop Art movement, and discover the man behind the talent.

Childhood

As a young boy, Warhol suffered from a condition termed Sydenham’s chorea, also known as St. Vitus’s dance, which is characterized by rapid, uncontrollable jerking movements.

He was sick through most of his childhood and hence, fell prey to hypochondria.

Bedridden

His bedridden years served as the beginning of his journey to the world of art. With movement restricted, Warhol dedicated most of his time to listening to music and drawing.

It was during this time that he started drawing movie stars which would attribute him much success later on in his career.

Passionate

Andy Warhol was a classically trained artist, much to the surprise of others. After the demise of his father, Warhol was well endowed to enrol in the Carnegie Institute for Technology where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and hence comes under a list of interesting facts about Andy Warhol.

Despite facing opposition from some of his professors for his style of art, he found decent success as a fine artist. He was deeply passionate about the culture and lifestyle of New York which ultimately shaped his artistic trajectory.

Factory

Warhol and his infamous ‘factories’ were much talked about in the art, film, and music industry.

He founded 3 different ‘factories’ between 1962 and 1984 which not only served as his studios but as exclusive spaces for intellectual exchange, art, and sexual intrigue.

Among the invitees to the Factory were artists, musicians, drag queens, porn stars, and drug addicts. Well-known artists such as David Bowie, Madonna, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Liza Minnelli, and Yoko Ono were frequent visitors to the Factory.

The famous musician Lou Reed’s record ‘Walk on the wild side’ actually refers to the famous gatherings and guests at Warhol’s Factory.

Community

Warhol was very much into the drug culture back in the 1960s in New York. Back then, drag queens were marginalized and unwelcome in society. Most of them lived under the influence of addictive substances and faced numerous hardships and hence comes under the list of interesting facts about Andy Warhol

However, they were frequent guests to Warhol’s factories and he found a way to integrate them into his art movement. He created numerous portraits that brought vivid glamour to the art culture in New York.

Warhol gave them a chance to feel beautiful, appreciated, and most of all celebrated. Though he was not a drag queen himself, he would often pose as one. His drag identity was called “Drella”, coined from “Dracula” and “Cinderella”.

Rejection

Rejection was something Warhol was not unfamiliar with. He dealt an unfavorable hand when his first pieces of art were outright rejected by fine art museums due to their obvious homoerotic nature.

It was a period when such notions of sexuality were best closeted than accepted. Warhol ended up rejecting the system altogether with his pronounced Pop Art movement.

His takes on Marilyn’s portraits were purposely distorted, off-coloured, and glaring – earning him the reputation of an unapologetically rebellious artistic genius.

Criticism

Warhol was shot by a radical feminist that went by the name Valerie Solanos after what can be deemed as a strange series of events. Solanos, a queer writer, self-published a book called “SCUM Manifesto” in 1967 that argued for the elimination of the male race.

She had a defiant aura to her and held strong views regarding gender and power. After arriving in New York, she found her way through Warhol’s social circle and shared her play, “Up Your Ass”, with him in the hopes that he would produce it. He found the play objectionable and ended up misplacing it. To compensate her, Warhol cast Solanos in his film, “I, A Man”.

Not long after, she grew paranoid and became convinced Warhol was conspiring against her in an attempt to suppress her ideas. Solanos crept into his Factory and shot him several times, puncturing many of his organs. Her reasons stated that he had too much control over her life. Warhol miraculously survived and went on to live another 19 years, dependent on a surgical corset.

Collector

Warhol was an avid collector of different objects. Even though his friends and family knew this habit of his, they were fully aware of just how expansive his collection was after his passing.

641 boxes labelled “Andy’s stuff” were discovered in his office, filled with daily objects of his life. The contents of the boxes now rest in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and hence is an interesting fact about Andy Warhol.

Death

Andy Warhol died on the 22nd of February, 1987. As part of his will, the majority of the earnings from his estate were donated to build The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts which now serves as one of the most notable grant-funding organizations in the US.

His legacy continues to foster artistic and creative explorations of passionate young individuals and thus comes under a list of interesting facts about Andy Warhol 

Wigs

Warhol’s collection of wigs was probably his most prized assets. He had over 40 hairpieces that were weaved from hair specifically imported from Italy.

He treated his wigs tenderly, maintaining their upkeep and even going to the hairdresser for proper haircuts.

Conclusion:

Such was the raw history of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Today, pop art exists in many forms and expressions.

From make-up looks to digital illustrations, pop art is ever-thriving thanks to the little daring, largely insubordinate style, and highly outstanding artistic style of Andy Warhol. Also, check out Who’s Andy Warhol? 7 Famous Andy Warhol Artworks 

The post 10 Interesting Facts about Andy Warhol appeared first on The Artist.

Christened Andrew Warhol was born on August 6, 1928.

10 interesting facts about Andy Warhol

The American artist, who was also a director and producer in his time, was one of the foremost figures as far as pop art was concerned. His works often research the correlation between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture seen flourishing in the 1960s. 

His impact in this field was so great that he was nicknamed and fondly referred to as ‘The Pope of pop art’.

Most times, the subject of his work changes from symbolic American objects to fiction, to celebrities to traditional concepts.

His paintings triggered a turnaround in the way art was perceived.

Andy Warhol’s works span a range of paintings, silk-screening, photography, film, and sculpture. 

Warhol has been featured in several books, documentaries, and exhibitions. In his native city of Pittsburgh, there is a Andy Warhol museum.

Quite a lot of His works have been found to be collectible and greatly valued. His painting called the Silver car crash happens to be his highest-priced work, though his creations include some of the most expensive paintings ever sold. In  Nov2013  Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) by Andy Warhol sold  for $105.4 million .

For the purpose of this article, we’ll be talking about 7 most famous Andy Warhol artworks.

Top 7 Paintings By Andy Warhol

1.Banana

First on our list is the painting called ‘Banana’ made by Andy Warhol in 1966. He was associated with a band known as the velvet underground and was their manager as of 1965. This art called banana is featured on the cover of the band’s debut album titled, The Velvet Underground & Nico.

The cover featured the image of a banana covered by a banana skin sticker that viewers could pull back and reveal the flesh-colored nonexistent fruit under.

The album was referred to as “the most prophetic art album ever made.” After ranking 13th on Rolling stone magazine’s greatest album of all time list, Warhol’s Banana became one of the most sought-after pieces of pop art.

Banana can rightly be referred to as the international symbol of Warhol.

2. Coca Cola

Next on our list is Warhol‘s ‘coca-cola’.

There is hardly anyone who would claim to not know the coca-cola brand. The coca-cola bottle is a symbolic American object which happened to tickle Warhol’s fancy. 

One of his famous quotes has a thing to do with it. He created many works on the coca-cola bottle. Unlike his later silkscreens, coca-cola is hand-painted and happens to be one of Warhol’s most expensive paintings ever sold.

The coca-cola bottle was an inspiration to Warhol as he set out to develop his own identity. Throughout his career, Warhol created about 15 different artworks related to coca-cola.

3. Mao

This work of art was created in 1973, started the year President Richard Nixon, who was the US president, made his first visit to China, 1972.

He made hundreds of MAO paintings using a photograph from MAO’s little red book. This painting is quite huge and is about 15 feet tall. It is also the most well-known MAO portrait by Warhol.

In making this painting, Warhol used strong and colorful brushstrokes to apply makeup with overly ostentatious colors on MAO’s face.

This particular painting reflects Warhol at his most painterly self and is said to be one of the best paintings he made.

4. Soup Cans

Campbell’s soup cans, also known as 32 Campbell’s soup cans, is one of Andy Warhol’s famous works. It was produced between November 1961 and April 1962. It comprises 32 canvases, each one representing the canned soup varieties that the company offered at the time.

This work of art made pop art become a major art movement in the USA.

The debates that stemmed from the merits and ethics of such work made Andy Warhol the leading and most well-known pop artist.

5. Marlin Diptych

Following Marilyn Monroe’s death in August 1962, Warhol created this masterpiece which consists of 50 images of Marilyn using the same publicity photograph from the film titled Niagara.

The work is divided into two halves, with 25 images on both sides. The 25 images on the left are colored, and those on the right are in black and white with a fading effect. 

This piece is considered a symbolic work of pop art and was once rated the third most influential piece of modern art in a survey by Guardian.

6. Eight Elvis

Created in 1963, this work is a 12-foot painting of eight identical, overlapping images of Elvis Presley in cowboy attire.

It is a unique painting as it was not mass-produced

like the majority of Andy Warhol’s works. As of 2008, it sold for $100 million, making Warhol the fifth artist to have a work sold.

It is a masterpiece and remains one of the most expensive paintings ever sold.

7. The Shoes Series

Andy Warhol was known to have a fetish for shoes and feet. This was probably the inspiration behind the shoe series.

His advert for women’s footwear in the 1950’s was outstanding and recognized. It is a collection of different shoe paintings by Andy Warhol.

The exhibition poster depicts a single emerald green shoe hanging in a starry sky. However, he incorporated a lot of different shoes in his shoe series that were reminiscent of still life.

Closing Thoughts

Andy Warhol influenced art in many ways; he used bright colors, celebrities, and everyday objects to enable everyone to relate to art. He wanted to give people something to question, and his works like the Campbell’s soup cans and Marlin Diptych raised can be closely tied to the question of what is art? why art  is important? through his exploration of popular culture, consumerism, and the nature of artistic production.

He successfully merged popular culture and art just as he intended to.

He had an immense contribution to the development of pop art, and the King of pop art cannot be ignored by anyone looking to learn more about that Genre.

The article contains sponsored affiliate links from Amazon to valuable resources.

The post Who’s Andy Warhol? 7 Famous Andy Warhol Artworks appeared first on The Artist.

The post-war era seems old fashioned to us now, but at that time, humanity was experiencing life in ways that adults of the time could not have even conceived of as children. With a new world, came new perspectives, new attitudes, and new lingo. How else to describe the visual expression of the era than to use that lingo?

Lawrence Alloway, a British art critic, did just that when he coined the term POP- art in reference to art that mimicked consumerism and popular culture.

The world had become so super conformist that every house, yard, and even personal appearance looked the same.

Advertising was pervasive and marketed to the public false images of lives they were trying so hard to emulate but never could. The result was an undercurrent running through most of the households that were resulting in increased alcoholism in men and nervous breakdowns and dependence on pills in women.

Adults of the era had grown up on hard work and very little comfort during the depression but now they had machines that did work for them and convenience products that seemed to come from abundance they didn’t know what to do with.

The avant-garde thinkers, the beatniks, and social activists in the nation’s cultural hubs took notice of the hypocrisy of idealized images, television programs, and adored celebrities that the public was trying so hard to imitate. They saw current trends as homogenization and suffocation of humanity, innovation, and creativity. They began to attempt to expose the absurdity of conformity.

Pop Art Simplified

Artists, primarily from Britain and America, started creating art using the very items and mediums that pop culture had been using to manipulate the masses into complacency and mass consumerism. The bold primary colors and simple graphics of the era’s packaging designs, and often the packages themselves, were used to create pieces that are well known today, such as Brillo boxes and Campbell’s Soup cans. It was a complete departure and almost the very opposite of the other giant art movement of the day – Abstract Expressionism.

Whereas abstract artists sought to let the medium control the image, such as in Pollock’s drops of paint, Pop Artists went beyond realism into reality.

While abstract expressionists used their work to draw out of the viewer an acknowledgment of the tragedies of the post-war, post-depression era, pop artists were revealing the effects of the trauma of recent decades in the trends of the current time. The effect was poignant, revolutionary, and exposed the fragility of emotional façade.

Pop artists worked in imitation, using the graphic styles of the era, the format of popular comics, and the expressions of popular fashion models and celebrities to convey their messages. Though it was an imitation, it was not collage – these were seasoned artists whose talents for more detailed work were previously known. They achieved the look of these works with silk screening and even paint.

As pop artist Roy Lichtenstein put it, “Pop Art looks out into the world. It doesn’t look like a painting of something; it looks like the thing itself.” The first pop artist, Richard Hamilton, defined pop art in the irony and wit of pop art itself: “Pop Art is: popular, transient, expendable, low-cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous, and Big Business.

Pop-art pieces were not mere reproductions of objects and advertisements. Each piece was infused with clever wit, irony, and a subtle message that became apparent to the observer. Sometimes it was revealed through the isolation of the item from its usual environment, and sometimes it was more obvious with text or contextual clues.

TAKKA TAKKA

The essence and complete elements of pop art are found in Roy Lichtenstein’s TAKKA TAKKA; a piece done in the style of a cartoon with the sound effect “takka takka” resonating with the firing of a machine gun.

Cartoons of the time, especially in this style, were meant to be either funny or swashbuckling and heroic. By using this backdrop to convey his message, Lichtenstein has the advantage of juxtaposition to make the effect more jarring and thought-provoking.

The limited palette and the absence of the soldiers mentioned make them up the close placement of the violent booming of the gun jolting to the viewer. The effect is that the viewer, having read the text, is left wondering about the feelings of not only the soldiers but of the victims.

The post-war era had lifted up America as heroic and the war efforts as “the right thing to do” but it had ignored the individual soldier and the effects of war on bodily health and the psyche of often very young soldiers. A pat on the back, a firm handshake, and “Good job, Son” were often given as an acknowledgement of manhood and loyalty, but brushed under the rug shell shock, moral dilemma, and the questioning of authority. This work brings all of this into focus and hints at an unseen character in the painting: the establishment that created the scenario – the governments that made it happen for these individuals, both soldier and victim.

In this, Lichtenstein achieves the major essence of pop art itself in exposing the very most conformist society – the military, in which there are not supposed to be any individuals, where free thought and expression are not only not allowed but are suppressed through control and domination. This painting was created in 1962 – the eve of America’s involvement in Viet Nam, just when people were beginning to wonder about the purpose of war and to question the morality of it.

Add to this the colors the artist chose – colors that evoke violence, uniformity, and cold steel ambivalence toward the atrocities of war. The sound effect text laid out in the color of blood, screaming “TAKKA TAKKA” and the captioned text that mimics the hero-worshipping and patriotized rhetoric of a news media that glossed over the terrifying and devastating scenes of real battle.

Critics point to an alternative, additional perspective on the story told in this painting, one that brings focus to the fact that with no gunner visible, there is no humanity in war, nothing to give the story portrayed an ounce of emotional thought. In this alternative, it is victims that are center stage in the mind, that do not share in the heroics of the battering charge of the takka takka bullet barrage.

No matter which of the two perspectives the viewer experiences, or any other perspective, Lichtenstein achieves the power of pop art in this piece. A simple image, in spare colors and lines, reminiscent of the benign templates of popular culture very simply and effectively creates a story in the viewer’s mind that reaches a complexity far beyond what is painted on the canvas.

Pop Art Popular in the New Millennium

Since the 1950’s and 60’s when pop art emerged, people have been trying to retain and even advance their own individuality. Unfortunately, governments, businesses, and media have worked to discourage the need for personal expression and we are still surrounded by popular imagery, mass consumerism, and homogenized thought.

This battle between the individual and the establishment has made the continuation of pop art more relevant than ever. The movement evolves with the times and the messages are braver and rendered more boldly than ever before.

Through an increased array of mediums, especially digital, and with a wider global audience, current pop art inspires and encourages thought in modern viewers with the same bright energy it began with. Viewers today are encouraged by artists such as Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Naraserve, and the ever-innovative Banksy, to think about how they are affected by the conformity of culture and to recognize and retain their own identity against all consumerist odds.

We love Pop Art!

The post The Power of Pop Art appeared first on The Artist.

The term “modern art” describes visual arts developed between the 1860’s up until the 1970s, wherein artists often made use of vastly new subject matter, materials and made use of brand-new working techniques to better capture the changes and the hopes and dreams of our modern societies.

The following round-up list contains some of the top modern artists to inspire you. Gustave Courbet, Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, etc. are just some of the artists in our history who have created impressive and long-lasting impressions on our art in modernity.

Difference between Modern Art and Contemporary Art

Gustave Courbet (born in 1819)

Considered to be the beginning of Realism in 19^th century France, Courbet’s work remains one of Realism’s most well-known exponents. Born in Ornans, he exhibited his work at the Paris Salon in 1844, although the nature of his art meant that his reputation worsened over the years.

His art often made use of a heavy, impasto (Italian for “mixture”) style painting, where he used the palette knife to create strokes in the paint and is included in the list of some of the top modern artists to get inspired.

After being rejected from exhibiting his work in Paris’ Exhibition Universelle in 1855, Courbet staged his own art show in a tent-like structure to showcase his realist work.

Paul Cezanne (born in 1839)

Possibly one of the greatest Post-Impressionist painters, Cezanne’s work proved to influence many of the aesthetics of the 20th-century artists and art movements, most notably that developed by Picasso and Braque.

An avid inventor whose practice challenged many of the conservative art ideals of his time, Cezanne forwent his impasto painting style in 1877 and developed a new styled he penned “constructive brushstrokes”, which aimed to give more depth and gradation to his art forms.

21 most famous paintings by Paul Cezanne

Vincent Van Gogh (born in 1853)

Perhaps one of the top modern artists in all of art’s history and certainly one of the most well-known, Vincent van Gogh was a dutch post-impressionist painter who painted almost 2100 artworks during his relatively short life.

Having committed suicide at the age of 37 due to his mental health, van Gogh completed most of his work during a 10-year period. Encompassing a wide range of subject matter, he painted a variety of portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, and still lives, usually using strong, bright colors and dramatic and expressive brushstrokes that form a basis for much of the modern art scene today.

Check it out 25 famous painting and artworks by Vincent Van Gogh

Hilma af Klint (born in 1862)

A Swedish artist whose paintings often extended into her interests in mysticism and spirituality,

Klint’s artwork is often considered some of the first examples of Western abstract art. Perhaps paintings can also be seen to represent her spiritual paths of meaning, this the result of her inclusion in a group known as “The Five”; a group advocating attempts to contact beings called “The High Masters” by meditation and seances.

Very few comparisons can be made against Klint as her artwork goes along paths many have not followed.

Pablo Picasso (born in 1881).

Born in Spain but most often associated with France, Picasso produced work across a wide variety of genres and could possibly be number one on the list of top modern artists of the modern era. This is due to his role in the development of Cubism and a variety of other achievements including the beginning of the collage form, formation of constructed sculpture, and several other techniques and styles he is credited with working on.

Best known for his works Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907 and Guernica in 1937, much of his works can be split into different periods; in 1901-1904, the blue period; in 1904-1906, the rose period; in 1907-1909, the African-influenced period; in 1909-1912, the analytic cubism period; and1912-1919, the synthetic cubism period.

Check out the famous artworks by Pablo Picasso

Georgia O’Keeffe (born in 1887)

One of the artists of the American modernist movement, O’Keeffe was most well-known for her role in the development of a one-of-a-kind visual vocabulary. Her art form and this visual vocabulary mostly exhibited enlarged flowers along with New York skyscrapers, and towards the end of her life with landscapes of New Mexico, where she moved and lived.

Early on in her career, she learned the artistic ideas of the esoteric artist Arthur Dow, most known for working with the principles of subjective vision and interpretation.

Frida Kahlo (born in 1907)

Kahlo was a Mexican painter whose artistic themes often reflected her own personal life story alongside her imagination.

Who is Frida Kahlo?

Close to a third of Kahlo’s work consisted of self-portraits and may often have referenced her difficult early life, her relationships, and her chronic illness. Her artistic work regularly drew on many elements of popular Mexican culture where she made use of a folkish, naïve art style to convey her unreal and imagined worlds.

Frida Kahlo’s famous artworks

Francis Bacon (born in 1909)

Most well-known for painting some of the most disquieting works of the 20^th century, Bacon’s art is often best understood as considering the figurative horrors of modern life. He painted on a vast array of subject matter, from crucifixions to self-portraits to Popes seemingly in anguish. Due to his style, he never fit into any one artistic movement but is often seen as part of the diverse School of London with many other artists who have become acclaimed as a part of modernist painting.

Jason Pollock (born in 1912)

Pollock, once dubbed the “greatest living artist” in 1951 by Life Magazine, made his artistic breakthrough in the 1940’s when he began to lay his canvasses horizontally on his floor. As one of the largest stylistic inventions of the 20^th century, Pollock created drip paintings, use his body movements to drip enamel paint on his canvas from above. As a painting of abstraction in line and form, Pollock wanted his work to be understood as not representing anything that could be seen in the world

Andy Warhol (Born 1928)

Credited for his fundamental work at the beginning of the pop art movement, Andy Warhol lived and exemplified the pop art life in both his personal and public personas. His work was most interested in the position of images and that of mass media throughout American society. Even today, his popular and valuable silkscreens of popular cultural icons such as Marilyn Monroe and consumer icons such as Campbell’s soup provide a unique snapshot into the American culture of the time.

7 Famous Andy Warhol Artworks

Conclusion

Many artists throughout history have made valuable contributions to modern art and it would be amiss to suggest that this list of exhaustive. Here are some of the top modern artists to get inspired.

There are indeed many more artists throughout the years not covered by this list.

Our reflection on top modern artists from our history and the artistic expressions of those from our past is essential, should we understand the influence these have had on the art styles and expressions of those artistic practitioners amongst us today.

[html_block id=”12849″]

The post 10 Top Modern Artists to Get Inspired appeared first on The Artist.

In his short life, Keith Haring was a prolific artist both on the street and in the studio, making him one of the true street art legends.

His colorful figures are instantly recognizable to many even if they don’t know him, much of the work by Keith Haring revolved around themes of politics, sexuality, war, religion, and AIDS, largely in response to the street culture prevailing at that time in New York City.

Crack Is Wack

Inspired by crack academic and its effect on new york city.

Crack Is Wack was made in the year 1986. This mural at 128th Street and 2nd Avenue was inspired by the crack epidemic and its effect on New York City. It was created to be a warning for crack users and was executed independently initially, without City permission but soon enough The mural was put under the protection and jurisdiction of the City Department of Parks and it still exists to spread awareness.

Andy Mouse

Fusion of Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Andy Warhol.

Andy Mouse was made in the year 1986 which is the fusion between Disney’s Mickey Mouse, a favorite character of Haring’s from his childhood, and Andy Warhol, Haring’s close friend and a leading Pop Art artist. It’s signed by both Keith haring and Andy Warhol which makes a bridge between generations. The cartoonish andy mouse and dollar bills depict the irony found in a money-driven capitalist society.

Lucky Strike

Advertisement for cigarette company lucky strike.

Lucky Strike was made in the year 1987. This painting is one of the Famous Paintings created by Keith Haring for the cigarette company lucky strike as an advertisement. Keith Haring’s work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth, death, sexuality, and war. Haring’s work was often heavily political and his imagery has become a widely recognized visual language of the 20th century.

Radiant Baby

A simple outline of a baby or a person crawling.

The radiant baby was made in the year 1990. It is considered as one of the most recognizable works and part of Famous Paintings by  Keith Haring by haring showing an outline of a baby or a person crawling on the floor on their hands and knees with lines emanating from them. Haring depicts threw the baby in this painting youthful innocence, purity, and goodness and hence forms a part of Keith Haring

Best Buddies

Depicting two figures hugging.

Best Buddies was made in the year 1990. This was one of his final print series before he dies of AIDS-related complications. This artwork depicts two figures hugging, with rays emanating from their embrace. Best Buddies is purposefully uncomplicated, inviting viewers to create their own interpretations of the scene. These figures appear as a symbol of universal love and acceptance.

The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell

The marriage of heaven and hell was made in the year 1984. As the name says this abstract artwork depicts the marriage or we can say the connection between heaven and hell. Streetlife in New York City, drugs, nuclear weapons, AIDS no topic was off-limits to Haring who made social activism a central component of his artistic career.

Barking Dog

Outline of a dog with an open mouth.

Barking Dog was born in the year 1990, featuring colorful canines with their mouths open mid-yap is one of the street artist’s most universally recognizable symbols and remains a testament to his dedication to accessible art. The dog’s cartoonish and simple shape shows Haring’s interest in Egyptian hieroglyphics to depict how humans communicate their experiences through universal shapes and signs.

Ignorance = Fear

Ignorance = Fear Silence = Death poster.

Ignorance = Fear was made in the year 1989. On behalf of the New York-based AIDS activist group, Haring designed and executed this poster which references the three wise monkeys that, see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing. The Artist refers 0 to the public’s ignorance with respect to Aids and calls for critical awareness of the ‘facts’.

Pop Show – III

Pop Shop III was made in the year 1989. It’s a suite of four silkscreen prints on paper. With the typical use of primary colors, the figures were simplified, and easily recognizable as his. They formed glyphs that could be read, like an urban, tribal language. This Pop Shop series emerged as the shops Haring opened in New York and Tokyo and hence forms apart of Famous Paintings Keith Haring

Chocolate Buddha 1

Linear variety lines figure.

Chocolate Buddha 1 was made in the year 1989. Depicted in the artist’s graphic, linear style, Keith Haring’s Chocolate Buddha series consists of five prints rendered in contrasting colors such as red, blue, orange, and pink. Each print consists of a variety of figures creatures and objects. Though the density and maze-like design of the overall imagery filling out the canvas has a somewhat compulsive quality, in contrast to haring’s usual Zen-like simplicity, there is a flow and beauty to his use of energetic lines.

Debbie Dick

Debbie Dick was made in the year 1984. This was a promotional card with Motown recording artist Carrie McDowell. The promotion was for mentor contraceptives to promote safer sex. Safe sex helps avoid uncountable diseases that can be spread through physical intercourse, many healthcare professionals believe there really is no such thing as safe sex. They believe the only way to be truly safe is not to have sex because all forms of sexual contact carry some risk and hence forms a part of famous paintings by Keith Haring

Free South Africa

A political response to the conditions of apartheid that still existed in South Africa.

Free South Africa was made in the year 1985. This art was a response to the harsh conditions of South Africa due to political reasons. The black figure is intentionally much larger than the white figure to show that the black population is the larger was still being oppressed by the white community in the post-colonial area. Black lines representing the sense of dynamic movement and hence forms a part of the famous paintings by  Keith Haring

Rebel With Many Causes

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.

Rebel With Many Cause was made in the year 1989. This artwork is an example of the three monkeys speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil from left to right, a criticism of those who would avoid social issues, especially the AIDS crisis. When the federal government was slow to act Haring devoted himself to raising awareness for AIDS.

Houston Bowery Wall

Outside mural by Keith haring in new york city.

Houston Bowery Wall mural was made in the year 1982. Keith Haring created his first major outdoor mural on the Houston Bowery Wall in New York City. The iconic mural is one of the street art legends most recognizable public works and is firmly entrenched in the history of graffiti and street art, created using his signature style figures and bold colors. In 2008, the Houston Bowery Wall became a permanent outdoor exhibition in new york.

Crack Down

Representing abolishing crack, a crackdown on crack.

Crack Down was made in the year 1986. Keith famously declared that art is for everybody, he was drawn to posters because they were a democratic medium, a great way to share his bright designs and graphic characters with the public on a large scale. The concert Crackdown On Crack was organized by famed concert promoter and producer Bill Graham to raise funds to combat the crack-cocaine epidemic in New York.

Pop Show I

Pop Show I was made in the year 1987. Pop Shops were born out of the artist’s desire to make his whimsical aesthetic accessible to the widest audience possible. He wanted it to be a place where not only collectors but the children could also come, creating an immersive environment for visitors to browse and enjoy haring’s beloved art.

Montreux

Montreux was made in the year 1983. Keith Haring was asked to create a poster for the iconic Montreux Jazz Festival, in turn, he submitted 3 designs which were instantly accepted. Haring visited Montreux for the event and spent the entire time painting and creating art around the streets of the area. Pictures truly don’t do the colors of the trilogy of posters justice, the lush, bright colors are almost neon, and have been maintained perfectly over the years.

A Pile of Crowns for Jean-Michel Basquiat

A Pile Of Crowns for Jean- Michel Basquiat was made in the year 1988. The artwork was made to memorialize his friend, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It depicts a towering pile of Basquiat’s trademark crowns. It was painted on a triangular canvas, like a warning sign, edged with a red outline. In the center is a pile of 3 pointed crowns which was Basquiat’s signature artistic motif. On the bottom right corner is a copyright symbol, which was one of Basquiat’s signature symbols.

The Boxers

The Boxers was made in the year 1987. Boxers are one of the first group of sculptures that were created in Germany in 1987 and offers convincing proof that Haring is a master of the new medium. You can see two stick figures boxing and fighting each other which depicts the lines and abstract art that haring was involved in.

Monkey Puzzle

Monkey Puzzle was made in the year 1988. This giclée print delivers a vivid image with maximum color accuracy and exceptional resolution. The standard for museums and galleries around the world, giclée is a printing process where millions of ink droplets are “sprayed” onto high-quality paper. With the great degree of detail and smooth transitions of color gradients, giclée prints appear much more realistic than other reproduction prints.

[html_block id=”12849″]

The post 20 Famous Paintings by Keith Haring appeared first on The Artist.

The Treachery of Images

The Treachery of Images is a painting produced by Rene Magritte between 1928 and 1929. The Belgian artist was only 30 years old when she completed this painting and this was one of the masterpieces in the field of Surrealism. This painting can be viewed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California.

Golconda

Golconda is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1953. Louis Scutenaire who was a poet was also a friend of the Belgian artist and helped her with the title of this painting. This painting can be viewed at The Menil Collection, Houston, Texas.

The Lovers

The Lovers is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1928. This painting depicts two figures, male and female whose face is covered with a cloth and that they are locked in an embrace. This painting can be viewed at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.

The False Mirror

The False Mirror is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1928. This painting was completed around World War I and during this time several artists depicted the same subject of the human eye. This painting can be viewed at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.

The Menaced Assassin

The Menaced Assassin is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1927. The subject of this painting is that a woman is being murdered by a team of assassins. This painting can be viewed at Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.

Personal Values

Personal Values is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1952. This painting is now lent by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and many historians believe that the style of this painting is similar to her old master’s style. This painting can be viewed at Musée Magritte Museum, Belgium.

The Son of Man

The Son of Man is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1946. The Belgian artist painted this painting as a self-portrait. The subject shown in this painting is dressed gently and an apple is painted on his face. This painting is in Private collection.

On the Threshold of Liberty

On the Threshold of Liberty is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1937. Mark Isham was an american composer who composed music of similar title dedicated to this painting. This painting can be viewed at Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

The Human Condition

The Human Condition is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1933. The Belgian artist is famous for producing paintings within paintings and this painting is considered as one of them. This painting can be viewed at National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

Not to be Reproduced

Not to be Reproduced is a painting produced by Rene Magritte in 1937. Edward James was Magritte friend who commissioned this painting and it it believed that this painting depicts him but the face of the man is not depicted. This painting can be viewed at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

The post 10 Most Famous Paintings by Rene Magritte appeared first on The Artist.

Good things aren’t always beautiful. Beautiful things aren’t always good. Ugly can be made beautiful. Beautiful can be revealed as ugly. Street Art is one such super cool art where it’s meanings and messages are much deeper and thought-bending

Check out art infographics on five reasons why street art is super cool

Most of the top street Art and Graffiti Has A Remarkable Attitude, Satire and Creativity . A lot of street art has an obvious, or sometimes very subtle, anti-establishment hint in it. The very mediums it uses, owned by states or corporations, are protected by law from the artist but are used without regard or in spite of it. That illegality is often a part of the message.

For millennia, people have been desecrating public buildings and spaces with their written or drawn opinions of authority figures, celebrities, and even their own friends and lovers. Archaeologists have found Roman inscriptions that mirror what’s written on the wall in our modern bathrooms.

Street art’s former graffiti reputation as destructive vandalism has mostly disappeared. As the art form gains the notice of the art world elite, and more importantly, the masses, there is hope of success for the artist in his life and even the immediate future. Street Art plays a major role in adding soul and personality to its existence. Berlin is one such fascinating city for street art, where large-scale, puzzle-like street art works can be seen all around the city.

Street art has proven itself to be a true expressive art form. It is not an inferior form of political outcry nor is it the indifferent rebellion of a disaffected youth. Street art thinks, feels, and evokes thought and emotions in the people that view it with an open mind.

Street art is executed with purpose, design with technique and produced with intention. Inquisitive urban explorers are often the first to find new street art. So, next time if you are around Rio, Berline, Prague or New York, find some time to explore the magic of street art.

The post Infographics: Why Street Art Graffiti Is Super Powerful? appeared first on The Artist.