Module 12- video response

Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.
I decided to watch the video, Andy Warhol: Images of an Image because throughout middle school and parts of high school whenever I took an art class I distinctly remember learning about Andy Warhol. I don't know if this is because I heard about him so much growing up or if it because I am actually interested in his work. Secondly, I chose to watch Abstract Expressionism and Pop because I knew this had something to do with Warhol's art so it was perfect to link the two videos together and get a good insight from both videos.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Andy Warhol: Images of an Image- is about  the works of Andy Warhol sardonically comment on the ubiquity of mass media in modern America. The video looks at the Pop Art movement and the life of Warhol through a penetrating investigation of his deadpan Ten Lizes. The painting exemplifies his fascination with—and his indifference to—celebrities as objects no less commodified than a simple can of soup. Warhol's art encompassed many forms of media, including hand drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, silk screening, sculpture, film, and music. He was also a pioneer in computer-generated art using Amiga computers that were introduced in 1984, two years before his death. He founded Interview Magazine and was the author of numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. He is also notable as a gay man who lived openly as such before the gay liberation movement. His studio, The Factory, was a famous gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the ’50s and ’60s - this film is about abstract Expressionism was born from a joining of attitudes in American art and European avant-garde art, but was later rejected for its nonfigurative and seemingly egocentric character in favor of the ultra-objective phenomenon known as Pop Art.Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid-1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States.Pop art presented a challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular culture such as advertising, news, etc. In pop art, material is sometimes visually removed from its known context, isolated, and/or combined with unrelated material. Technically, an important predecessor is surrealism, with its emphasis on spontaneous, automatic or subconscious creation. Jackson Pollock's dripping paint onto a canvas laid on the floor is a technique that has its roots in the work of André Masson, Max Ernst and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Another important early manifestation of what came to be abstract expressionism is the work of American Northwest artist Mark Tobey, especially his "white writing" canvases, which, though generally not large in scale, anticipate the "all-over" look of Pollock's drip paintings.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos relate to the text in forms of art and technology. Warhol had decided to make a name for himself in pop art. Pop art was a new style of art that began in England in the mid-1950s and consisted of realistic renditions of popular, everyday items. Warhol turned away from the blotted-line technique and chose to use paint and canvas but at first he had some trouble deciding what to paint.Warhol began with Coke bottles and comic strips but his work wasn't getting the attention he wanted. In December 1961, Warhol gave $50 to a friend of his who had told him she had a good idea. Her idea was for him to paint what he liked most in the world, perhaps something like money and a can of soup. Warhol found that he couldn't make his paintings fast enough on canvas. Luckily in July 1962, he discovered the process of silk screening. This technique uses a specially prepared section of silk as a stencil, allowing one silk-screen to create similar patterns multiple times. He immediately began making paintings of celebrities, most notably a large collection of paintings of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol would use this style for the rest of his life.Warhol continued to paint and he also made films. From 1963 to 1968, he made nearly 60 movies.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
The films added depth to my understanding of Abstract Expressionism and understand how technology became a part of art. These two concepts were developed visually through Warhol's work which helped me fully develop the concept.