Author(s): Bernhard Mendes Burgi

Art

After a successful career in advertising design, Andy Warhol (1928-1987) change course to pursue a career in art. His concerns, however, did not change, remaining centered on the world of consumerism and mass production. This publication illuminates Warhol's early years as a painter and producer of drawings, from 1961 to 1964. During this period, Warhol gradually replaced his somewhat individualized visual language with purely media-derived (and therefore collective) subject matter, and developed the mechanical painting process of silkscreening on canvas for which he became so well known. This fascinating process--in essence the gestation of Pop art--is examined here through several series, such as the Campbell's soup can paintings and the "Dollar Bills," the star series of Elvis and Liz, the "Death and Disaster" pictures and the "Flowers" series from 1964. By concentrating on Warhol's early years, this publication makes it possible to comprehend the scope of his impact.