Photography & Pop Art

Meet Andy Warhol!

Andy Warhol was an American artist who was best known for his work during the Pop Art movement. He created with various media, namely printmaking. Often, Warhol would reference his fascination with celebrities and pop culture. During his art career, Warhol incorporated photographs into his paintings and printmaking. He used a method called appropriation or photo manipulation. Andy Warhol would create the photographs and then use the images for his printmaking. Read the story about Andy Warhol and his photography series with Mick Jagger here. 

In this Unit, we will explore Andy Warhol, his work as it pertained to photography of pop icons, and the Pop Art movement.

Vocabulary terms to remember:

1. Andy Warhol
2. Pop Art
3. Photography
4. Appropriation
5. Series

After reading through the online article and viewing Andy Warhol's series with Mick Jagger, use your sketchbooks to write down your top 5 pop culture influences. Describe your choices. Think about how your choices influence you, maybe your taste in music, fashion, beliefs or social causes. Then, choose 1 of those pop culture influences and share in the group to conclude Lesson 1.

Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger 143, 1975.

As referenced above, view Andy Warhol's artwork displayed in the PowerPoint and his artwork displayed in the online article. 

Answer the following questions in your sketchbook:

1. What makes something art?
2. Does a work of art have to be beautiful?
3. Who decides whether art is beautiful or ugly?
4. What influenced your choice from the activity in Lesson 1?
5. How could you use appropriation to alter an image of the pop culture icon you chose?

Be prepared to share your thoughts on aesthetics. 

Michael Halsband, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, silver print, 1985. 

The best part is creating! 

Following the instructions below. 

• Research black & white photographs of your chosen pop icon. 
• Use the photo application Adobe Spark to upload your chosen black & white photograph. 
• Use different layers and other editing methods to create your own pop art appropriation. 
• Create a series of 3 or more appropriation photographs. 
• Add your digital artwork to your Adobe Spark account and share with me when they are complete. 

Richard Day, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, 2017. 

After submitting your work, visit the artwork of 3 peers. 

View, observe, and critique 3 peer artworks.

Comment directly for each and use complete sentences in your responses.

In your responses, use vocabulary terms from the list of terms to remember. 

Describing what you see, analyzing the elements, interpreting the artwork and giving a final evaluation are all appropriate responses in critiquing remarks.