Andy Warhol

Very few people would argue that Andy Warhol was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, but having that point drilled constantly into your head in Rick Burns' documentary about the artist kind of loses its effect after a while.  In the film, Warhol was portrayed as a perfect deity of the art world.  It seemed that every decision and action he made was incredibly dramatic.  I thought the driving intense music in the film was actually kind of funny after a while.  I feel like some of the stuff that was portrayed as super dramatic may not have been accurate representations of what happened...

Though I don't think Warhol was as god-like as the documentary portrayed him to be, I think he did have some interesting ideas.  I like his strategy of trying a little bit of everything, from painting to photography to film.  It certainly reinforces his idea that business is the best art.  His constant producing of various pieces makes him akin to a factory pumping out a product, in this case his art pieces.

I've been trying to relate Warhol's work to my own project, but to little avail.  In Warhol's work, there is little narrative, while I am trying to tell a story.  Many of his pieces evoke emotions while remaining quite vague, while I am trying to convey information and a specific message to the audience.  Obviously I am creating an artistic piece, but at the same time it is ultimately a conservation documentary that will be used as an education tool.