Sunday, August 9, 2015

Why I Love Warhol



A client came into my gallery the other day and asked us why Andy Warhol is considered so great. “I mean,” he said, “couldn’t anyone just take a picture of a soup can and put it on the wall?”

He raised a worthy question. In many other artists’ work, their remarkable talent is immediately evident. One can clearly see the artist’s hand in a sculpture; likewise, the artist’s thick brushstrokes and scratches in a painting. Even in photography, the artist has to find the scene, wait for the right light, set exposure times, and go through a long developing process in the darkroom. However, Warhol is known mainly for his silkscreen prints, many of which he appropriated from various sources. So why is he one of the most famous and respected artists of all time?
           
            Before he became widely known for his famous soup can imagery, Warhol was an artist with diverse talents. He began his career as a successful and highly paid commercial illustrator in New York, designing advertisements and album covers as well as illustrations for magazines. Throughout his career, he excelled at many different art forms, including video arts, sculpture, painting, and more obscure endeavors, such as his famous time capsules. Even his silkscreen prints were designed beautifully, as Warhol had a very sophisticated eye for composition and color.



When Warhol trained his sharp eye on popular culture, his art rose to an iconic level and spoke volumes about America’s social climate. In this way, he was an ethnographer first, and King of Pop Art second. Warhol scrutinized everything that was going on in the 70s, from consumerism to the Marilyn Monroe obsession. My favorite Warhol series at is “Cowboys and Indians.” In this series, he strategically placed images of General Custer, Annie Oakley, and Geronimo together to challenge and expose the controversy surrounding America’s perception of Cowboys and Indians. 

Andy Warhol led the pack. Although artists like Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein were doing similar work, Warhol dug deeper. Because of his process and style, his work became very mechanical so much so that almost every detail of his art and process reflected the machine-like world that surrounded him in New York.

Warhol’s social and political commentaries were astute, sharp, and often witty, and the medium he chose was accessible to a large audience. Extremely intelligent and overflowing with ideas, Warhol created the ultimate expression of the spirit of the 70s in America.

            

Monday, August 3, 2015



Check out  my other blog Inside Aspen for a peek at how I live my day to day life in the luxury mountain town Aspen, Colorado. 

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Highlights From a Mother Daughter Ireland Vacation

From the Aryan Islands, Cliffs of Mohair, castles, and animals, we had a blast exploring Ireland!


Monday, July 27, 2015

Photographs from the Vanishing Race

For the Past 3 years I have been working at a Fine Art Gallery here in Aspen Colorado. Though I probably make less art working full time than being a full time art student, working at a gallery is a great way to stay inspired. Though we have a lot of really incredible artwork, I wanted to share the Vintage photography of Edward S Curtis for a bit of inspiration today as it is insanely beautiful but also very important work.

"Plate 028 Canon de Chelly- Navajo" 1904

 With the support of President Roosevelt and the financial backing of J.P Morgan, Edward S. Curtis was able to produce a photo-ethnographic study that was (and still is to this day) widely regarded as the finest set of limited- edition books ever made in America. The North American Indian consists of twenty volumes and twenty portfolio sets. These exquisite books are hand bound in leather, written with hand-set letter press text, and illustrated with hand-pulled photogravure prints. Every page is printed on handmade imported paper. Edward S. Curtis would settle for nothing but the best for his massive project that took over 30 years and covered over 80 different tribes.


"A Typical Nez Perce" 1910

"Arikara Medicine Ceremony - The Bears" 1909

"Fog in the Morning - Apsaroke" 1908

"Mother and Child - Apsaroke" 1905


"Prayer to the Great Mystery" 1907

"Painted Lodges - Piegan" 1900

"Bear Bull - Blackfoot" 1927

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

“A terrible weariness fills the soul of my heart. I feel sad because of whom I never was, and I don’t know with what kind of nostalgia I miss him.” — Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

"Sol"

Saturday, March 31, 2012

New Web Site

View my new web site @ www.emilyrichardsart.com

Write me a note, drop me a line, let me know what you think!