Andy Warhol's Impact On Art And Pop Culture

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The Question of Authenticity In the mid-20th century, an American artist named Andy Warhol shook the art world like an earthquake. Warhol’s impacts in art and pop culture have led him to be recognized as one of the most influential figures in contemporary art and culture. Many of his groundbreaking influences are still seen today, nearly 30 years after his death. Warhol receives credit as being the first to popularize silkscreen printing; a process that utilizes the properties of a stencil, meaning that some areas are blocked out and other areas are painted through (Christie). This screen-printing technique allowed Warhol to reproduce an original image repeatedly. With the formation of so many replicas’, how would the value and significance…show more content…
Shortly after the printing press, photography and film made it much easier to produce things, which fueled the rate of mass production. Although silk screen-printing originated in China, around 960-1279 AD, it was not until the early 1960’s that silk-screen printing methods became mainstream (Pete). Warhol’s adaptations of photographs in his screen-prints started by simply changing the color palette for screen-prints of Marilyn Monroe, while leaving the initial image the same. This eventually resulted in the ability to mechanically reproduce virtually any image. Other famous screen-prints of Warhol’s include the famous Campbell soup can, the Coca Cola can and the electric chair. In each of these photographic adaptations, the appearance of the original image is unaffected but the aesthetic qualities are certainly…show more content…
In some sense, this robs the viewer of an intimate and meaningful experience that only comes from viewing an authentic piece of art for the first time. When individuals see the authentic automobile and electric chair paintings at a museum, it causes them to feel much more vulnerable and this leaves significantly longer impression on them than a replica would. Warhol’s adaptations create a problem of aesthetic authenticity for viewers of his screen prints because although reproductions cause prints to be more accessible, they also diminish the aura and significance of the original and unique work of art. Many individuals would agree that it is individuality that makes artwork so special. When objects are everywhere, people don’t notice or appreciate them anymore. Mechanical reproduction tried to change the world of art by making it so that you don’t need to have the original portrait to experience the picture. While mechanical reproduction did make the pictures readily available, it did not change the fact that you may need the original portrait to fully experience the picture for what its
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