Commodity Culture

Commodity:

Something you make to sell or exchange

Commodification:

We attach monetary value to things

ANDY WARHOL

Andrew Warhola 1928-1987

A Homosexual Artist.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose parents were immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Often stuck in bed as a child, due to his St. Vitus Dance' (a nervous system disease) he became a hypo-chondriac, which caused him to be out-casted by his peers and helped to create Warhol and his mothers strong bond.

Warhol was a literal artist. He started out doing paintings personally, each one hand painted and sold as individuals. He used to call his studio a factory, this was not a bad idea as Warhol soon realised. Warhol found his works to be selling well, so made the decision to commodify himself.

Andy Warhol started mass productions of his artworks in the 1960's just after he started making his famous paintings of iconic American products, like the infamous Campbell's soup can, and coca-cola bottles.

The 1960's were also the years when he started producing his artworks of famous Americans, such as, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Troy Donahue.

Which to me look as though Warhol has been inspired by Roy Lichtenstein

He turned his 'Factory' into a literal factory, hiring a wide and diverse range of artists, musicians and underground celebrities. Using these people to help him produce these commodities. Andy had a job for everyone, whether it be cutting out stencils, or to print the pictures. Andy Warhol had an assembly line, so he was ably to produce a large quantity of works.

Andy Warhol was a great business man.

Through commodifying himself, Andy Warhol also showcases conviviality and manaakitanga.

When Andy Warhol commodified himself he enlisted the help of others to help him meet demands. His artwork went from only being produced by himself, locked away in his 'factory', to literally becoming a factory, igniting the social boundaries that Warhol had never really experienced

By the 1970's Warhol was criticised, as was being labelled a 'business artist' nothing more

On February 22nd 1987, Andy Warhol died i his sleep, after 'routine gallbladder surgery' where he went into cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)

Andy Warhol had stalled his visits to get his re-occurring gallbladder problems checked as he was afraid to see the doctors and even to enter hospitals.

A somewhat ordinary death ending such a difficult yet successful life.