What are some of the most famous Pop Art films, pictures, and paintings? By far the most productive Pop Art gallery and studio was Andy Warhol's Factory, which was situated in the heart of the action in Union Square in New York City. During the late '60s and early '70s, the Factory was abuzz with creative action, drug use, and celebrity gossip. Pop artists helped Andy Warhol decorate his studio with tinfoil and helium filled balloons, throw raging parties which lasted for days, and bring up young talent, like the painter Basquiat. During the later years of his career, Warhol created repetitious prints of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Chairman Mao, and others. By merely repeating these famous faces one after another on the same canvas, Warhol made a tremendously focused and insightful commentary on the simultaneously deadening and exhilarating experience of fame. Other people who populated the Factory included influential rockers of the '70s and '80s, such as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Lou Reed. Indeed, Warhol at one time served as the manager of the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed's band. His famous song, "Walk on the Wild Side," discusses the colorful characters who flitted in and out of the Factory during this productive, drug filled era. Yet while critics sometimes dismiss Pop Art as self-indulgent, banal excess, the truth is more complex. By mass selling art to consumers, Warhol and compatriots unleashed a new kind of creative energy. Subsequent generations of artists, advertisers, and filmmakers all draw upon lessons from the works of the pop artists. |
