Bridge#1_PartII

Moma_Campbell’sSoupCans_Warhol_1962

Seminar

The famous Andy Warhol screen printing, “Campbell’s Soup Cans”, was created in 1962, a year representing the climax in the “Pop Art” movement, a year when the Beatles can be heard in every radio channel, and televisions started to appear in every household, but also a year Kennedy escalated the Vietnam War, and a year when the American began to mass use the word “Consumerism”.

Andy Warhol, born 1928, was the forth child of a working family in Pennsylvania, he became interested in art during his teenage accident of getting into scarlet fever. He dyed his hair blond and moved to New York City after graduation in dream of fame.

The work is generally screen printings of the 32 flattened imagery of the Campbell’s soup cans which looks identical to each other except the printing of the flavours. Due to the consistency, the process of production was made systematic. The ink was laid evenly and delicately. No brush stroke or anything showing his identity is shown or revealed as in his “Mao”‘s prints.

The non-originality, repetition in the appearance, and the way the prints are arrayed in exhibitions all reveal Warhol’s intention to challenge the society’s idea towards “Art”. The repetition is said to be that he has been having the exact same meal of the instant canned food for years. Using this object which is familiar to most of the American people of that time, Warhol want to create art for the majority. Repetition is usually being used as the commercial strategy in advertisements for the companies to brand themselves. Warhol’s choice of taking even this strategy made it completely non original, but especially unique. Many people, including me, awe him for being so bold to experiment.

Studio

“What if”s

What if the image is in 3D?
What if the it’s not the soup cans but some other consumer goods?
What if you see this image on the street?

Online_Sorry_Banksy

What if you see it in a museum?
What if it has background image behind the text?
What if it is an advertisement on a website?

I think many people in our middle upper class believes that they are not just buying certain products, but certain types lifestyle that others own which is generally constructed by the companies. According to Marx, “Commodity Fetishism” is a inevitable phase in the society of Capitalism. The people with enough production, they need to spend the currency they exchanged or have something that keep them chasing (in this case, commercial goods), their leisure time will lead to riot or something that shakes the society. This kind of remind me of the concept “Tittytainment”, which changes the “commercial goods” to “commercial entertainments”. I think thought of “I need to keep buying this and that” is sort of like Tittytainment which keeps their mouse shut so that they wont be barking around.