Who Was…? biography series for middle grade captivates with the story of Andy Warhol who was the founder of the Pop Art movement.
Andrew Warhol (1928-1987) was born in
Pittsburgh to emigrant family from Slovakia. He liked reading comic books. His
mother encouraged him to draw as he had a gift for art.
At nine, he was selected for free art classes
at Carnegie Institute.
At seventeen, he entered the Carnegie Institute
of Technology where he was studying painting and design. His teachers saw his
talent but he had difficulty following the assignments. He struggled during his
first year.
During summer time, he worked selling fruits
and vegetables with his brother, and at the same time, sketching the customers.
For a city art exhibition, he drew a boy
picking his nose. His drawing wasn’t picked but people certainly talked about
it. He was learning how to get attention.
After college, he moved to NYC where he got a
job for a magazine drawing the ads for different products. He was doing well
for himself and winning awards, but he dreamed of his pictures being sold in
galleries and displayed in museums.
A friend of his helped him develop his own
style in modern art. Andy began to paint his soup cans. He developed his style
in something people saw every day.
His first gallery show was at the Ferus Gallery
in Los Angeles in 1962 which wasn’t a success but he continued to make a name
for himself. He became part of the Pop Art.
He liked celebrating everyday life through his
paintings. Then, he started experimenting with silk-screen process. He used pictures
of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. People were noticing his art more and
more.
Then, he was offered his own show at the Stable
Gallery in NYC. Every painting at this show sold. He was a success.
He kept creating more art work which was showed
at the famous Castelli Gallery in NYC.
Then, at gallery in Paris, he announced that he
was retiring from painting and going into making movies. But he was creating
movies of everyday life, simply recording life which people found boring.
Nevertheless, he continued to make movies,
still created silk-screen portraits and worked in advertisement.
He had many friends and became famous like a
movie star.
He also became a manager of a rock band. The
rock band failed but with time their album became one of the most influential
rock albums in history.
He became so famous those rich and famous
wanted portraits of themselves made by him.
In 1969, he started a magazine called
Interview, interviewing anyone important at the time.
Studio 54 was the most famous club in NYC at
the time. People came there to be seen with Andy Warhol.
At fifty-eight, he died of complications after
gallbladder operation.
This biography exemplifies a man who dreamed
big and persisted in his pursuit of what he believed in. Growing up, he received a good structure from
his mother who encouraged him to draw when seeing his talent. Thus, whenever he
had a chance he was drawing something or someone but the subject matter that
was at his heart was everyday things or people. Even though it wasn’t something
that resonated with people at first, he persisted because he believed in it. He
stayed on the path that made him happy and that took him to the very top.
This
illustrated biography for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable
way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.
Published by Penguin Workshop in 2014
TRENDING INSPIRATION: He exhibited what other
successful people did: the learning process never stops and new goals need to
be set to progress with the learning process.
Traits:
·
From childhood, he exhibited talent for art,
and his mother encouraged him to draw.
·
Whenever he had a chance, he’d draw people,
even when selling fruits and vegetables during summer break from school.
·
He had his struggles, one of them difficulty following
the assignments at school.
·
He took part in exhibitions to make his art
visible to others. Even though when it wasn’t picked for award, the subject he
was picking was making noise. So he was learning how to grab someone’s
attention even when his art wasn’t picked. From early age, he was learning how
to pick good out of what another could see as negative or discouraging.
·
His first job in advertisement wasn’t
necessarily his dream job, but he was making good money, winning awards, and
meanwhile still dreaming big.
·
A friend of his helped him develop his own
style in modern art. He was open to suggestions how to develop his own style.
·
After finding his own style, he persisted even
when it wasn’t resonating with people at first.
·
After making a name for himself in his own art
style which made him very famous, he became setting new goals for himself. He
tried making movies, managing rock band, founded a magazine to interview
important people.
“They always say time changes things, but you
actually have to change them yourself.” – Andy Warhol
