Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat were and are one of the most influential artists of their generation and this generation. Both created works of art that will inspire and awe generations to come. Andy Warhol was at the peak of his career during the “Pop art” or Popular Art Movement. Since Worhol spent most of his childhood sick, he often felt lost and isolated. During his time alone he spent plenty of time working on his art and figuring out who he was not only as a person but as an artist. Quickly, art became one of his favorite things to do. His mother was also a gifted artist and frequently gave him art lessons, brought him to museums to see pieces and signed him up for free art classes. His rough childhood and teen years would inspire and influence his art in his career to come. Throughout his career he explored various art forms like performance art, filmmaking, video installations and writing. Although he was one of the most successful artists of the 1950’s, his “pop art” took the world by storm. His small canvas paintings focused on mass produced commercial goods and gave the public a new way to view these everyday items. His portrayal of the Campbell soup cans has grown more and more iconic as the years went on. We’ve probably seen this painting hundreds of times without even realizing it. Aside from these paintings he also painted celebrity portraits. His most famous ones include Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger and Mao Tse-tung. Andy Warhol was a very self conscious, quiet, awkward, unique, and naive person who gained his confidence through his art. From 1964-1987, Warhol created numerous self portraits that execute self conscious to a celebrity obsessed man, to a man that was aware of the possibility of death. Unlike his brightly colored, glamorous portrayals of celebrities, his self portraits contained symbols like skulls or ghostly facial expressions. He would make it look like he was staring into your soul through the picture. Warhol once stated. “I paint pictures of myself to remind myself that I’m still around.”
Similar to Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat was inspired by his surroundings and upbringings. Basquait began by drawing on pieces of paper that his dad would bring home and just like Warhol his mother strongly urged him to pursue a career in the arts.In his early works, Basquiat was known for his crown icon. The crown was his way to celebrate black people and his black heritage. To make ends meet he would sell sweatshirts and postcards with his art work on it. This is so inspiring because a couple weeks ago Coach just did a collaboration with him and featured his iconic crown stable along with other iconic symbols and shapes that he frequently used.
After struggling for three years his career took off when he was featured in a group show in the 1980s. His rise of fame emerged in a new art movement called the Neo-Expressionism Movement. Neo-expressionists returned to portraying recognizable objects, such as the human body (although sometimes in an abstract manner), in a rough and violently emotional way, often using vivid colors.The art world became infatuated with his words, symbols, stick figures and animals. In the mid 1980s Basquiat and Warhol had one of the best collaborations in art history. Their six year friendship fascinated the art world for decades. What made their friendship so interesting was the fact that they were so different. They were from two different generations who composed two completely different ways of expressing themselves through art. Basquiat the Neo-Expressionist and the founding father of Pop Art went on to inspire plenty of artists for generations to come. What made their bond so strong was that each saw in each other what the other lacked and each was equally intrigued with each other.
Andy Warhol. (2020, March 6). Biography. https://www.biography.com/artist/andy-warhol
The Art Channel. (2013, November 9). Andy Warhol Documentary Film Part 1 of 2 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQXpqQO4vaE&t=1388s
JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT / THE RADIANT CHILD (2010) [Video]. (2017, October 12). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GZDEzchusE
Jean-michel Basquiat. (2020, 12). Biography. https://www.biography.com/artist/jean-michel-basquiat
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