Who Was Andy Warhol? Why Is The Pop Art Icon’s Legacy Controversial?

Andy Warhol is deeemd to be the first influencer of the modern world. The artist died two decades before social media turned the word into a job title. However, his prolific use of photography to capture a carefully curated life would have won the artist millions of followers today. He initiated the visual style of pop art in order to explore relationships between advertisement, popular culture, and artistic expression.

The artist as influencer is one of the themes the Art Gallery of South Australia will explore during the 2023 Adelaide festival in March, in Andy Warhol & Photography: A Social Media. Although, Warhol revolutionized pop art throughout the 1970s in the United States, he essentially utilized popular icons -in order to become iconic. This brings up controversy about whether he was a visionary genius, a sell-out, or an amazing businessman.

Who Was Andy Warhol?

The artist has had a substantial impact on the modern art world, especially pop art. Andy Warhol redefined what can be deemed as art. Warhol was able to generate inspiration from the products consumed amongst the masses of the United States of America in the 1960s which contributed to his success.

Andy Warhol worked as a commercial artist in the New York City at the glorious Fifth Avenue fashion store designers and also he was an advertising maverick. Earlier, he subverted art to create advertisements, but he reversed his innovative process. He started utilizing art to turn advertisements into a colorful deck of bleeding innovation with his own touch. The artist did not only display his obsessions with the classic advertisements and celebrities, but also these things were the pulse of the consumerist USA. His famous art pieces include Coca Cola bottles, Campbell Soup Cans, and the superstar Marilyn Monroe all in 1962.

Why His Legacy Is Controversial?

Andy Warhol gained mastery in sensing the pulse of the America during that time. One of his most revered pieces of art is the ‘Marilyn Diptych’, which he created after the death of the actress due to overdose. It became a hot topic which sent tremors in the industry. He had a theory that if an audience is already appreciating and relishing which is familiar, they will be able to enjoy the art on the pre-existing subject more along with the artist.

The artist presented exquisite visuality to the audience in order for them to find it attractive. He famously quoted, “I believe in low light and trick mirrors. I believe in plastic surgery“. Andy appreciated the outer beauty more. He promoted artificial beauty and endorsed that the audience enjoys it more than the natural, raw beauty.

Even in today’s society, the public will go to extremes to possess a certain kind of beauty. This is very relatable to Warhol’s opinions on plastic surgery. He was counted among the unconventional artists. Although he is a visionary, many still argue that the legacy he left behind for his successors is very controversial, because of his opinionated artistic skill and thoughts.

Is Takashi Murakami Taking On Warhol’s Legacy?

The legacy of Andy Warhol inspired the artists like Takashi Murakami. He revolutionized the contemporary art movement taking inspiration from Warhol innovating a new art and cultural movement called ‘Super Flat’, which is created infusing the socio-cultural aspect of the contemporary Japan. Murakami has extensively worked with rapper Kanye West. The bear in ‘Graduation Day’ is the artist’s brainchild.

Takashi emerged in the 1990s to the art world when he started producing paintings and sculptures utilizing the long-standing tradition of Japanese Manga and Anime. He also created avant-garde pieces true to the roots of Japanese ‘otaku’ roots inspiring and challenging the future of the Japanese art.