The silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe is nearly immediately recognized and connected to the work of Andy Warhol even by those who could be considered to be far removed from the artworld or unfamiliar with contemporary artists and art history Most often her face is seen in her work in repetition em ID: 808133
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Slide1
Gold Marilyn Monroe
Art Commentary by Thomas Murphy
Slide2Slide3The silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe is nearly immediately recognized and connected to the work of Andy Warhol, even by those who could be considered to be far removed from the art-world, or unfamiliar with contemporary artists and art history. Most often her face is seen in her work in repetition, emphasizing the ideas of mass-production and referencing the context of pop culture and fame.
Slide41962. Silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 6' 11 1/4" x 57" (211.4 x 144.7 cm)
Museum of Modern Art. New York, New York.
Slide5First Live Viewing
(2009):
alongside Marina
Abramovic’s
the Artist is Present and William
Kentridge’s
current exhibition.
Slide6Slide7First Visit (January 2013)Gold
Lack of repetition
Luminous
Textured
Slide8Second Visit (Feb. 2013)Immediate Thoughts:
Permanent
Sad
Intriguing
Slide9http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/audios/3/82
Slide10Historical ContextResearching further into the piece, Warhol made this work the year that Monroe committed suicide (
MoMA
). The single-face and gold outline makes even more sense with this understood, and references the idea of a shrine—but on canvas. It references byzantine Christian icon paintings through the shimmery gold, and even the slight defects
Slide11Speaking towards her face, the gallery text reads as following: “By duplicating a photograph known to millions, Warhol undermined the uniqueness and authenticity characteristic of traditional portraiture. Instead he presented Monroe as an infinitely reproducible image”
MoMA Gallery Text
Soon after her tragic death in 1962, Warhol made a series of paintings paying tribute to Marilyn Monroe, the film star and sex symbol who had captured America’s imagination in films like
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
and
How to Marry a Millionaire.
Warhol based this portrait on a publicity still from the 1953 film
Niagara.
He painted the background gold before silkscreening the boldly colored face in the center, adding black to show her features. Even as Warhol canonizes Monroe, he reveals her public persona as a carefully structured illusion.
Slide13Discussion Question: Why
was
one of his final works of her lacking the infamous repetition?
Slide14Final Museum VisitWith my
parents on their first visit to the
MoMA
.
Alongside Wolfgang
Laib’s
Pollen from
Hazelnut
.
Saturday, early afternoon.
Slide15The viewing of it amongst a small population—fluidly after seeing a performance—contrasted greatly with seeing it in front of a crowd insistent upon taking their pictures with it, and taking pictures of it. This same crowd poked humor at the main exhibition, but connected with Gold Marilyn Monroe.
This does not mean that I feel more above or greater than the crowd who flocked to an icon and type of art medium they understood, however. I, too, poked fun at the pollen, joking with my mother that if I got close to it I would likely have an allergy attack and need to go to the hospital (true).
“The variety in crowds served as a catalyst for me to understand that Marilyn in Gold reflects onto each viewer differently, and the variants and occurrences in the museum affects its place in the Museum of Modern Art.”
Slide17After the Museum,Reflection
Referencing culture
Celebrating work
Immediacy of production
Slide18Marilyn Diptych.
1962. Andy Warhol.
Slide19On Repetition
“Warhol took Marilyn Monroe as his subject in different mediums,
silk-screening
the actress’s image multiple times in a grid in bright colors and in black and white. By repeating Monroe’s image (and that of other celebrities) over and over again, Warhol acknowledged his own fascination with a society in which personas could be manufactured,
commoditized,
and consumed like products.”
Slide20Slide21Final Thoughts