Self I: as Image
4/10/19
Ana, Andy, Basquiat: similarities
Ana Mendieta was a Cuban born artist to become a refugee in the U.S. at age 12 as well as her sister Raquelin, who was 14 at the time. They were sent to Dubuque, Iowa to get away from the crisis that Cuba was in at the time. Although the move was
A lot of her pieces were performance based. Possibly the most shocking one was called “Untitled (rape scene)” 1973. After the rape and murder of a nursing student named Sarah Ann Ottens at her University, she decided to create this violent piece as her way of getting people to pay attention to the danger arounf them. She accomplished this by creating her apartment into a murder scene, with no shortage of blood. We had herself bent over a table with her pants down and blood running down her leg, she remained silent as people came into the apartment, although it was interesting it became jarring having her silent and still for so long. According to a quote by Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the museum, “It’s about theater. It’s about kind of capturing moments through various forms of documentation. And she takes all of these things to the world at large that might not be considered fine arts. She turns them into something intelligent, harrowing and emotional.” (1) Her work showed a lot of pain and damage she felt connected to in some way. She passed away at a very young age, she was 36 years old, and although she was known in some communities, it was only after her death she was able to reach a longer reach for fame.
Andy Warhol was a huge artist with a huge impact. Born in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia to a poor immigrant family, Andy grew up not in the best circumstances, he also grew up very sick and was bedridden for a good part of his childhood. He had Sydenham's chorea, a nervous system disorder that would cause his body to make involuntary movements. Because of this, as well as how pale and awkward he was, he was an outcast in school. You was bedridden for most of this time, with his mother taking care of him. It was during this time that he started to own up to his artistic ability with the encouragement of his mother. After realizing his potential talent he finished high school and continued his college education at Carnegie Mellon University, studying commercial art. After nearly getting kicked out of the school entirely and having some of his work published, he finished his education and headed to New York City, to continue working in advertising. Once in New York City is when his career got noticed and his frame started and skyrocketed. He became most known for his silkscreen sprints and his paintings of certain parts of media. Some of his pieces he became very famous for was his silk-screen copies of the Campbell soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles, and wooden Brillo soap pad boxes and this was inspired by mass-media consumer culture. These pieces can be a huge part of advertisements, as well as consumer culture. Although he is not actively seeing the product, it puts the idea into people’s minds. “Such varied accounts of consumerism reinforce the view that humans have a long and interesting attachment to objects, whether they are manufactured or found treasures.”(Finklestein, pg160) (2). that only is something that separates Andy Warhol from Ana Mendieta. One art process he is most known for would be pop art. You see examples of this in his Marilyn Monroe collection, where you see her face, painted over and over again, which different colors and patterns on her face. During a Merv Griffin interview, when Warhol was asked what he wants to become of his art, he says that he wants people to of course buy it yet re-sell it, because "Everything should be recycled, like leftover food at a restaurant.”. (3) Sadly his life had an end in 1987 at the age of 58. He passed away in the hospital after a route Gallbladder surgery, his irregular heartbeat was the only sign something was wrong.
Jean Michel Basquiat was a younger man, though his art, he wanted to live on though his art. Basquiat into the familiar story of fame, rags to riches. He had earned a lot of money though his art, but him coming from nothing and being so naive, spend most of it though parties and luxurious goods. He didn’t care about losing money so long as he had supplies for his art. He was a bit stubborn in his way in terms of art, he couldn’t take requests, he would be upset if someone told him they want the painting red, he would paint whatever he wanted. Later in his life, he and Andy Warhol become good friends and stayed a student mentor relationship, even working on pieces together. Although this was a huge move on Basquiat’s part, he was part of his ultimate downfall. At the age of 27, he passed away from an accidental heroin overdose in his studio, his death left the world shocked, many had believed that he was getting clean, but his mindset and environment might have been the ultimate force that pushed him over the edge. To quote him “I'm not a real person. I'm a legend,” (4) His young but his work remains to be a huge impact and a lesson on fame.
around 17 when he started making art that would impact the world. He was born around the 1960s in New York City. He released his love and talent for art and young age after a car accident sent him to the hospital, very similar to Andy Warhol’s childhood. With his mother in a mental hospital and his father disliking him, he ran off on his own at the age of 15, staying with friends and selling things to keep his head above the water. He had huge dreams of obtaining wealth
All 3 artists that many differences in their lives, stories, styles of art and relationship with themselves. Basquiat used his life and heritage like Andy and Ana did, they all showed their personal struggles through art. They became famous through their hardships. They all came from very humble beginnings and all ended very tragically and suddenly. All of their art was impactful in their own ways, they all wanted their art to live on for them and give them the fame they rightfully deserved. Something that they all shared in a very morbid way, was the time of all their deaths, they all died relatively young and all died around the mid to late 80s. To end this I will quote, “ways of seeing” by John Berger.
“The art of the past no longer exists as it once did. Its authority is lost. In its place, there is a language of images. What matters now is who uses that language for what purpose.” (Berger, pg 33) (5)
WorkCited:
(1) “Overlooked No More: Ana Mendieta, a Cuban Artist Who Pushed Boundaries.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Sept. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/obituaries/ana-mendieta-overlooked.html.
(2) Finkelstein, Joanne. The Art of Self Invention: Image and Identity in Popular Visual Culture. Tauris, 2007.
(3) Papermag. “Andy Warhol's Top 5 Most Amazing Interview Moments.” PAPER, PAPER, 21 Mar. 2018, www.papermag.com/andy-warhols-top-5-most-amazing-interview-moments-1427366504.html.
(4) https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/21-facts-about-jean-michel-basquiat
(5) Berger, John. Ways of Seeing:Penguin, 2008
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