Who Was Andy Warhol by Kirsten Anderson

 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