Andy Warhol: the colorful world of Warhol on display
Caroline McNeely, Staff Writer
The vibrancy in the colors, creativity in technique and wide range of topics flood the work of a man named Andy Warhol. Step into the art world for a moment and you will find yourself amazed at Warhol’s work.
Who is Andy Warhol? Warhol is a well-known artist that initially got his kick-start from the 1960s american pop art movement. Today, the Upcountry History Museum located just outside of Downtown Greenville is holding an exhibition to display Works by Warhol and Andy Warhol: Endangered Species.
If you are a fan of Warhol’s work, even if you don’t know who Warhol is, it is worth a visit to the Upcountry History Museum to see the Warhol exhibition. If you want to know why it is worth it, keep reading to see a snapshot of Warhol’s work.
Works by Warhol includes all his most memorable work from a series known as The Myths. In The Myths series, you will find portraits of icons like superman, man walking on the moon, santa claus, the wicked witch of the west, dracula and mickey mouse.
Along with the portrayal of those icons, Warhol created a piece called, The Shadow. The Shadow is a portrait of himself with his shadow silhouette beside his face. This piece can be related to Marcel Duchamp’s, well-known French painter, work called, With My Tongue in My Cheek.
Zac Buser, art professor at North Greenville University, explains that Marcel Duchamp’s and Andy Warhol’s work is impossible to separate when analyzing the techniques of both artists. According to Buser, Duchamp took an approach to art as if it were a game to figure out what is reality and what isn’t, and much of Warhol’s work portrays the same.
Buser said, “I think for Warhol it is very deeply amusing to him, this kind of Duchampian activity, is very playful.” Warhol conveys a more playful and circus-type theme in his work, which brings a playful, game-like tone to his art.
The idea behind Warhol’s, The Myths series, is interpreted differently by everyone. Buser would argue, however, that Warhol’s work is presented in a way that allows his audience to interpret it as they want.
Warhol’s intent, according to Buser, is to portray his work as it is and the rest is up to those who view it with the preconceptions that they approach his art with.
Art majors like Gracie Bowers, senior at North Greenville, understand how Warhol portrayed the world as it is. To Bowers, it made art more attainable when entertainment icons and the art studio come together in one piece. Warhol is able to bring a new level of appreciation to art because of his work.
In the Andy Warhol: Endangered Species exhibit, there are various animals displayed from Warhol’s work. The Upcountry History Museum took the exhibit a step further, however, and was able to put Spanish translations next to each English description.
Not only that, but the museum partnered with the local Deaf and Blind School to put up braille descriptions for those with limited vision to be able to visit and appreciate the Warhol exhibit.
For college students, it may not sound appealing to visit a museum in your free time. When asked why college students should come to visit the exhibit, Meg Hunt, special projects and media relations coordinator at the Upcountry History Museum, said, “In the end, it’s all about how we learn, appreciate and then pass on to friends, family or anyone who wants to talk about art. Have good discussion. It’s about opening our eyes and minds to different perceptions and ideas, even changing our minds, and if we do that, we grow.”
From santa claus to self-portraits, Warhol’s art is worth the visit to the Upcountry History Museum. Gather your friends and go see the short-term exhibit before it’s gone.
Andy Warhol: The Endangered Species will be at the museum through April 30, 2023. Works by Warhol will be on display through May 7, 2023. Visit Upcountry History Museum to get your tickets.
