The life and work of Andy Warhol has inspired many writers to tell of the
artist’s secrets in published writings. However, Carter Ratcliff accomplishes
this feat in a unique fashion, profiling Warhol’s work in Andy Warhol. A
must-read for anybody interested in the origins of American Pop art, Ratcliff’s
book touches on all aspects of Warhol’s work. Segmented chronologically,
Ratcliff explains the influence and significance of select paintings, as well as
sections devoted to Warhol’s sketches, photographs, movies and notes on the
techniques used by the artist.
This format, combined with the inclusion of nearly 100 prints of paintings,
is effective because a natural theme flows through the chronological ordering of
the monograph. Some of the influences are obvious in Warhol’s work. However, the
cumulative effect of the artist’s attempts is more easily understood through the
chronological ordering of the pieces. The chronological ordering helps the
reader understand what social or personal beliefs or conflicts the artist was
dealing with pertaining to the given time period.
For example, Warhol produced many pieces with singular subject matter
displayed multiple times as in his Campbell’s soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles and
dollar signs, possibly just comforting symbols to Warhol as well as the American
Pop Culture. Also, Ratcliff leads the reader on a journey through the details,
effects and consequences of the work. The author also describes similarities in
select Warhol pieces. The development of Warhol as an artist is easily
understood using this format, as his work transforms from the playful character
of Saturday’s Popeye (Figure 1) to the realism of Skull or the political power
of the Hammer and Sickle series.
Andy Warhol takes a convincing and comprehensive look at the pursuits of the
artist, basing observations on a plethora of sources. The information cited in
each section is a cumulation of Ratcliff’s investigation, interviews with Warhol
and references to the writings of other critics. Basing his survey largely in
the ideas of others, Ratcliff discovers little original information. Referring
to such credible contacts as Robert Rosenblume’s description of Julia Warhola
[1], saying that Warhol’s portrait of his mother breaks through the artists
“aestheticism” to convincing emotion (Figure 2).
Art critic Thomas Lawson’s notion that Pop art has everything to do with
nothing [2], or Warhol’s own magazine article, Crazy Golden Slippers [3], are
examples of the type of solid sources that the author utilizes in his work. The
majority of Ratcliff’s ideas originate elsewhere, however Ratcliff chose to use
these many sources to support his own theories, drawing from established and
accepted concepts to uphold his statements. The prize of Andy Warhol lies in the
inclusion of the author’s essay about the artist.
Together with the effect of the many large prints, which comprise a majority
of the body of the book, the essay enables the reader to learn about the artist
and reflect on what may have been his intention for select works. To fully
understand a work of art it is helpful to have some background information about
the work and the artist. The author does a fantastic job of presenting this type
information about the artist and his work. Warhol was obsessed with the idea of
stardom, controversial works pertaining to popular culture and the use of images
from every day life or symbols of such.
Ratcliff, when compared to other writers who investigated Warhol, has an edge
on the competition. Ratcliff not only describes the work itself, but also tells
of the concept behind the art. Cantz’ The Last Supper is at best a glorified
picture show of the artist’s work. The artist focuses on one series of paintings
rather then on the entire portfolio.[4] Unseen Warhol is an in depth biography
of Andy Warhol, not much attention is granted to the actual pieces of art.[5]
Ratcliff’s Andy Warhol fills the gap left by other writers. Ratcliff delivers a
complete analysis of Warhol’s work by explaining the concepts and ideas
surrounding the work in an intensive manner.
Ratcliff’s thoughts on many of the pieces help to define the actual meaning
or ideas of the work in a practical fashion. For example, the use of helium
filled mylar, covered with foil in Silver Pillows (Figure 3) served as a way of
making his paintings on the wall come to life and float away.[6] Drawing
comparisons from the periods of Pre-Pop art, Pop art, and Post-Pop art, Ratcliff
attempts to classify Warhol’s work in Andy Warhol. Commercial art including the
title page for In The Bottom of My Garden, album jackets commissioned by RCA,
book jackets for New Directions and Warhol’s famous I. Miller shoe
advertisements became the focus of the Pre-Pop art period, also called the
period of Consumerism by Warhol. Shifting to the Pop art period Warhol labels
his art as “all surface with nothing beneath”.[7]
The transition to Pop culture from Consumerism may have been influenced by
the emptiness in Warhol’s work. The artist seems to have completed his projects
as if he was commissioned to do the work, painting without a sense of feeling.
The idea that Warhol only looked at his paintings for their face value is
evident in such works as the do-it-yourself images and Campbell’s soup cans,
which appear to be commercial works of art, however they were part of Andy’s
private collection. Warhol’s Death and Disaster series brought about muddled
reviews from the public.
The artist may have been equating the empty electric chair combined with
car-crash images to highway death as a form of execution, or he may have been
merely trying to portray these symbols of death as strong controversial
statements, to raise interest in his work. Death is the common bond that moves
us from the Pop era to the Post Pop era. On the third of June in 1968, Warhol
was shot several times by Valerie Solinas, founder and sole member of S.C.U.M.
