Pop Art Summative Icon: Object

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Andy Warhol Research Assignment
By Matt Nesvadba, Grade 10

Andrew Warhola, more commonly know as Andy Warhol, was born to immigrant-parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928. Warhol displayed artistic talent from an early age, and, in the 58 years of his life, he dabbled in painting, films, books and music. Andy Warhol was central in the emergence of “pop art” and his works, such as the Campbell's Soup Cans, are still famous worldwide.

In the late 1950's and the early 1960's, the American economy was booming and people were living “the American dream.” These two factors caused a dramatic increase in the consumerism of both American society and Western society and caused society to place celebrities upon a pedestal. During this time, everything from Coca-Cola to Marlboro cigarettes was advertised and people were constantly encouraged to buy more than they needed. American and Western society also became fascinated with celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, admiring and imitating them. A young and promising artist, named Andy Warhol, was thrown into this environment. Warhol saw the nature of this environment, and, instead of shunning it and embracing more “traditional” forms of art, he instead embraced it. What followed was the emergence of an art form that focused on popular culture. This art, now referred to as “pop-art”, ranged from what people drank, such as Coca-Cola, to what they ate, such as Campbell's Soup, to who they admired and adored, such as Marilyn Monroe.

In the 21st Century, as with the 1950's and 60's, Western society still has rabid consumerism and the people living in Western society are still fascinated with, and want to imitate, celebrities. Eventhough, the products in our consumer-based society have changed, (radios to I-pods, comics to computer games, typewriters to computers), however, the nature of society hasn't. The same applies to celebrities, eventhough they're different celebrities now than in the 50's, we are still fascinated with them, we still admire them and we still want to imitate them. Therefore, for these two reasons, the works of Andy Warhol still have impact and relevance in the 21st Century because, eventhough the products and celebrities have changed, the nature of our society hasn't.

Pop Art Summative Icon: Person

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Pop Art Formative 1: Modern Version

Pop Art Formative 1

Photographic Formative 4 Circles and Ovals

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Circles and Ovals in a Composition:

Triptych

Triptych Questions

Triptych Assignment

By Matt Nesvadba, Grade 10

1: Explain what each panel represents about you:

In my triptych, the first panel represents the travelling side of my life. Since I was young, I have enjoyed experiencing and visiting new places. As such, the first panel contains images from multiple places including Paris, London and San Francisco. The second panel in my triptych represents the entertainment side of my life. This panel contains images from two of my favorite movies, (Children of Men and the Dark Knight), and video games, (Gears of War, Halo and Fallout 3), as well as a picture of my Xbox 360. The third panel, within my triptych, represents my personal life and my hobbies. The hobbies shown in the panel are running and reading, and, multiple images from my personal life are also shown.

2: Explain how you used the elements of line, texture, colour and shape in your work:

I employed the element of line for one very important aspect of my triptych. This aspect, of my triptych, was my utilization of line in the “photo within a photo” portion of my triptych. This “photo within a photo” portion of my triptych contains lines which draw the viewer’s attention to that specific aspect of my triptych.

I employed the element of texture in two fundamental ways within my triptych. The first way I employed the element of texture, within my triptych, was in my overlapping of the photographs contained within the first and second panels. This overlapping effect created a three-dimensional sense of texture within those specific panels, with images seeming to be “behind” other images. The second way I employed the element of texture in my triptych was in my utilization of multiple opacities within my second panel. These opacities enabled images to be drawn into the foreground and pushed into the background.

I employed the element of colour in three ways in my triptych. The first way I employed the element of colour, within my triptych, was in my usage of a strong background colour within my first panel. This colour enabled a sense of unity within the panel and allowed the photos to blend easily. The second way I employed colour within my triptych was in my use of a multitude of different colours within my second panels. The bright colours found within this panel draw certain photographs to the foreground, while, the dark colours push certain photographs into the background. The third way I used colour employed, within my triptych, was in my usage of relatively few colours within my third panel. These colours, which were darker than the colours found in the first two panels, enabled the third panel to contrast itself from the first two panels. In addition, I employed the element of shape in two ways in my triptych. The first way I employed the element of shape was by blending the images and shapes found in my first panel. The second way I employed shape was through my retention of the relative shapes of the images found in my third panel.

3: Choose one are of the triptych which you feel is an area of strength and write why that is so:

I feel that the second panel of my triptych is my strongest one. I believe this for a number of reasons. Firstly, of all three panels, I believe that the second panel appears to be the one that is most like one homogenous image, rather than a collection of images. In addition, I feel that my use of multiple filters and layer styles within this panel greatly enhanced its unique colour and shape within my triptych and drew some images into the foreground and pushed others into the background. Lastly, I believe that my use of overlapping images and multiple opacities contributed to a three-dimensional feeling of texture within this panel, with images seeming to be “behind” other images

4: Choose one are of the triptych that you feel could use more attention to make it more effective and write why you think this:

I feel that, of my three panels, my third panel could use more attention to make it more effective. I believe this for two fundamental reasons. Firstly, although overlapping is present within my third panel, I feel that it is not used to as great an extent as within my second panel. Secondly, I feel that although the dark colours found within my third panel contrast it from other panels, they do not contrast each other to the same extent.