Marilyn Diptych
Andy Warhol. 1962 C.E. USA. Oil, acrylic, and silkscreen enamel on canvas
Andy Warhol. 1962 C.E. USA. Oil, acrylic, and silkscreen enamel on canvas
Marilyn Diptych he has produced effects of blurring and fading strongly suggestive of the star's demise. The contrast of this panel, printed in black, with the brilliant colors of the other, also implies a contrast between life and death. The repetition of the image has the effect both of reinforcing its impact and of negating it, creating the effect of an all-over abstract pattern.
Content:
This picture is split up in squares all in proportion. There are many cults of Marilyn Monroe, half of the page is colored and the other half is black and white.
Context:
It is screen-printing photographic images onto backgrounds of rectangular shapes. The left is in color which represents her life. The right which is in black and white represents her death. Her public face is highlighted by bold, artificial colors. The private persona of her is submerged under the public face. The social characteristics are amplified such as the brilliance of blonde hair, heavily applied lipstick, and seductive expression.
Form:
Asymmetrical balance
Style:
Screen printing
Function:
Cult of celebrity, Marilyn Monroe
Meaning: The reproduction of many denies the concept of this unique work.
Current Location: Tate Gallery, London
- POP ART:
- A reaction against abstraction expressionism
- Glorifies + magnifies the commonplace
- Bridges the gap between "high" art & pop culture
- Often centered around mass production & replication
- rectangular screen-printed photographic images on a rectangular background (50 images of a film still from Niagara (1953) are used)
- Left: Color = Marilyn's life
- Right: Black & White = Marilyn's death
- Repetition = used to drain the image of meaning (to create physical and emotional flatness) = fight against the notion that art must be unique (the grid makes the piece appear to automatic & organized)
- Mocks the "cult of the celebrity" (the tendency of people to care too much about famous people )
- Bold & artificial colors are used to emphasize Marilyn's media-based facade
- HUGE = demands our attention
- "Diptych" is used intentionally in the title to draw on connotations of triptychs from medieval times (AKA just as people once worshiped triptychs, you now worship the media!)
Cross-Cultural Comparisons: Human Identity
- Tlatilco Female Figure
- Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo, Rodriguez
- Rebellious Silence, Neshat
