I
was talking about art market in an earlier Blog today, while the art
world commemorates the 25th anniversary of his death. Today we have
sufficient perspective to evaluate his legacy. What Andy Warhol
represented for the visual culture of the 20th century? A lot. He was
in a way a lawbreaker, regarding art as business and broke all rules
established for art. He paid more Value on conceptual images extracted
from publicity, using a rapid productive technique with ink like
serigraphy, method of printing by pressing ink through a silk pattern.
Warhol
is actually in all sorts of places today, in advertisements, in
Photoshop, in TV realities, in electoral campaigns ... He understood
more than anyone that our life is like a television programme and we
are all entitled, at least, to 15 minutes of fame.
But
what exactly Warhol represents in the art history? Little, I think,
brought in something new to the established tradition as the great
maestros of the 20th century did like Picasso, Miro, Dali, Pollock,
Rothko ... No. Warhol not only ignore it but he reversed the art value
appreciated till then: uniqueness, technique, and iconography;
dismantling traditional scaffolding, converting all in business: money, pure & simple.
He
was the only artist in the art history who painted portraits of famous
people he didn't even know, as he wasn't interested in capturing their
soul, just selling their image. Why was he then liked by so many? So
popular? I think it's because his work was so recognisable, so iconic. A
child can recognise his images as well as a rich art buyer who likes
to possess paintings that his friends know perfectly the value of.
Warhols like Ferraris.
Next: 21st Feb 2012 An Irresistible Ad.
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