by Natalie Campbell
Warhol: Fabricated creates a sense of dynamism and mystery to the man, celebrity, and artist known as Andy Warhol. While Warhol is easily recognized through his popular images of Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe, many onlookers are unaware of the dimensions of the artist that surpass his screenprints. AEIVA has taken a wide range of the artist’s works, from the most viewed to the unknown, and combined them to create an accurate sense of the artist in his entirety. The galleries present almost every facet of Warhol’s artistic career: installation, painting, and photography.
Silver Clouds is an accurate representation of Andy Warhol’s attitude artistically. It is simple, playful, aesthetically pleasing, and pushes boundaries that confine the meaning of the word ‘art.’ Unfortunately, the dimensionality and interaction is limited at AEIVA without the fans included in the original Silver Clouds to create a sense of playfulness and synergy. Although the clouds can be described as a type of sculpture, the shapes themselves are meant to be interactive – again, pushing the boundaries as how art is to be defined.
Warhol: Fabricated creates a sense of dynamism and mystery to the man, celebrity, and artist known as Andy Warhol. While Warhol is easily recognized through his popular images of Campbell’s soup cans and Marilyn Monroe, many onlookers are unaware of the dimensions of the artist that surpass his screenprints. AEIVA has taken a wide range of the artist’s works, from the most viewed to the unknown, and combined them to create an accurate sense of the artist in his entirety. The galleries present almost every facet of Warhol’s artistic career: installation, painting, and photography.
Silver Clouds is an accurate representation of Andy Warhol’s attitude artistically. It is simple, playful, aesthetically pleasing, and pushes boundaries that confine the meaning of the word ‘art.’ Unfortunately, the dimensionality and interaction is limited at AEIVA without the fans included in the original Silver Clouds to create a sense of playfulness and synergy. Although the clouds can be described as a type of sculpture, the shapes themselves are meant to be interactive – again, pushing the boundaries as how art is to be defined.
The middle gallery at AEIVA displays
some of Warhol’s more recognizable works, such as a Marilyn print
and Vote McGovern. These painted faces are common topics amongst
the art world, so viewing them at an often unheard of university in Alabama is
quite the experience. In addition to Warhol’s most renowned works, a range of
prints with various subject matters accompanies the famous. Along the back wall
are a series of electrically colored screenprints that depict many famed faces
and scenes of the American West, such as Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull.
The most surprising of all of the famed artist’s works are the photographs in the third gallery. Because of the mass popularity of Warhol's screenprints, his career as a photographer often was overshadowed and overlooked. His photos reveal a truer, more personal side to the often seemingly bleak and repellant artist. His photographs of street views and obscure, yet everyday objects combine his personal life with his artistic skills. In addition to many personal photographs, there are two screen tests of socialite Edie Sedgwick and musician Lou Reed. While I have heard some speculation as to whether these clips are actually works of art or not, the placement of the televisions in the gallery with photographs was strategic. It forces the viewer to question whether black and white films of blinking faces belong in an art gallery that also house some of the most famous works of contemporary art.
The most surprising of all of the famed artist’s works are the photographs in the third gallery. Because of the mass popularity of Warhol's screenprints, his career as a photographer often was overshadowed and overlooked. His photos reveal a truer, more personal side to the often seemingly bleak and repellant artist. His photographs of street views and obscure, yet everyday objects combine his personal life with his artistic skills. In addition to many personal photographs, there are two screen tests of socialite Edie Sedgwick and musician Lou Reed. While I have heard some speculation as to whether these clips are actually works of art or not, the placement of the televisions in the gallery with photographs was strategic. It forces the viewer to question whether black and white films of blinking faces belong in an art gallery that also house some of the most famous works of contemporary art.
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