ePub Fought Like Devils: The Confederate Gunboat McRae by Neil P. Chatelain in History

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*Includes pictures. *Includes Warhol's own quotes about his life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. “Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.” – Andy Warhol “In the future; everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” – Andy Warhol A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures; but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series; readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute; while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Few artists of the 20th century were as enigmatic as Andy Warhol; who once remarked; “If you want to know all about Andy Warhol; just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me; there I am. There’s nothing behind it.” This statement is hardly out of character for the famous artist; who remains famous for his cagey answers to interviews and his refusal to speak from the heart. It is no accident that Warhol wore a wig; paradoxically enough; he required the company of others but refused to allow himself to become emotionally intimate with anyone. If anything; Warhol’s public persona seemed to be structured around an apparent lack of personality; and yet he later noted; “At the times in my life when I was feeling the most gregarious and looking for bosom friendships; I couldn't find any takers so that exactly when I was alone was when I felt the most like not being alone. The moment I decided I'd rather be alone and not have anyone telling me their problems; everybody I'd never even seen before in my life started running after me to tell me things I'd just decided I didn't think it was a good idea to hear about. As soon as I became a loner in my own mind; that's when I got what you might call a ‘following.’ As soon as you stop wanting something you get it. I've found that to be absolutely axiomatic.” Of course; Andy Warhol was more than just an apathetic figure; after all; he is the most famous member of the artistic movement known as Pop; a title that was coined by critics but which Warhol epitomized like no other. The core themes of Pop art are well-known: an ironic appropriation of mass culture; the utilization of found objects (especially those relating to mass culture); and an early postmodern tone of irony and even pastiche. The works of Warhol and his cohorts in the Pop movement not only stand as iconic works of post-war American art but also fundamentally redefined what qualified as art in the first place. Arriving on the heels of the Abstract Expressionist movement; Warhol’s art marked a dramatic turn away from abstraction and toward the banal; but his works continue to enchant the public; exceeding even the grand-scale Abstract Expressionist compositions of Jackson Pollock. Warhol’s virtuosity is bolstered by the fact that he was able to thrive while working in different media; his paintings and silkscreens have received by far the greatest focus from art historians; but Warhol also created famous sculptures; films; and drawings. More than just a great painter; he was a great artist. Just as memorably; Warhol was someone whose art was intertwined with his personal life; so The Factory is nearly as big a pop culture icon as Warhol himself. Warhol’s eclectic group of companions included artists; musicians; vamps; Bohemians; and everyone in between. Like them; Warhol is an almost impossible figure to pin down entirely; but American Legends: The Life of Andy Warhol explores the many dimensions of his life and career. Along with pictures of important people; places; and events; you will learn about Andy Warhol like never before; in no time at all.