3 comments about Andy Warhol Portraits.

1. Andy Warhol is one of the best known American artists of the 1960s and renowned for his uncoventional life and art as well as is enduring influence on American pop culture. An influence that continues down to the present time several decades after his death. Famous for his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup Cans, he also made art out of the facial images of political, social, entertainment, sports, and music celebrities of his day. This particular body of his work has been compiled and edited by Tony Shafrazi, who enhances this 320-page coffee table art book with 350 color illustrations and informative essays by art critic Carter Ratcliff and art historian Robert Rosenblum. The men and women whose images were made immortal by Warhol range from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giorgio Armani, Truman Capote, Jimmy Carter, Joan Collins, Clint Eastwood, Herman Hesse, Alfred Hitcock, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Lenin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Liza Minnelli, Princess Diana, Yves Saint Laurent, O.J. Simpson, Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams, Natalie Wood, Mao Zedong, and hundreds of others. An important contribution to academic library 20th Century American Art History reference collections, "Andy Warhol Portraits" is a 'must' for the personal collections of Warhol's legions of admirers.



2. This book enables the reader to discover some rarely seen paintings by Warhol, representing many personalities from the sixties, seventies and eighties, from O.J. Simpson to Pelé, from the Queen of England to the Shah of Iran, artists, art dealers, art collectors, musicians (John Lennon...), actors, fashion designers and friends of the artist's. Even though it was this kind of work that drew the harshest criticism (Robert Hughes, critic for Time Magazine, dubbed Warhol the new Van Dongen, meaning by that that he only painted superficial portraits of the rich and famous of his time), they still show the scope and depth of Warhol's creative power. The book is lavishly illustrated and the text was written by leading Warhol authorities (dealer or critic). A very complete checklist of all the portraits illustrated is given at the end of the book. A valuable addition to the albeit extensive Warhol literature.



3. When most people think of Andy Warhol, images of Campbell's soup cans and a vividly colored Chairman Mao come to mind. For those who know Warhol better, memories also include Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, most wanted posters, and self-portraits of the artist.
   
   What few appreciate is that portraiture was the bread-and-butter that Warhol used to finance his experimental work at the Factory. Before this book, you could not see the full range of this work. Unframed and grouped with similar and complementary works in the same time period, these 300 portraits show a considerable range of style and expression that will be a new perspective for all but collectors of Warhol portraits. I found the work to be so impressive that it totally changed my sense of who Warhol was as an artist.
   
   In this book, the portraits do the talking. The brief essays merely describe the processes that Warhol used and that he tried to make people look good . . . and larger than life. But you knew that already, didn't you?
   
   The range of the ways he captured the spirit of his subjects is what's most impressive in this volume. Repetition of the same image in one work with different treatments could help us see many different expressions of the person (see Natalie 1962). In other places, many images of the same person in one work express mood, movement, and a story (see Sixteen Jackies 1964). In other cases, multiple images of the same subject give us deep insight into personality (see Ethel Scull 1963). In other cases, the multiple images show the reality as well as the personality (see Merce Cunningham 1963 and Triple Rauschenberg 1963).
   
   Exploring different use of colors and backgrounds, Warhol could totally change our emotions as viewers (Silver Liz 1963 gives us a sense of coolness and elegance while Liz 1963 shows a woman of great emotion and passion).
   
   In Warhol's process, subjects were photographed around 100 times using a Polaroid camera. The subject then picked the images (or image) that she or he liked best. The images were turned into silk screens. Then, Warhol added the background and color to capture what the mere shape could not. The degree of focus also creates more or less power and immediacy (compare Donald Judd 1967 and Robert Rauschenberg 1967).
   
   The portraits also create dialogues, such as when married couples had their portraits done around the same time. In the book, these images are often on facing pages. You'll be arrested to see Nelson Rockefeller 1967 and Happy Rockefeller 1968 looking off into the same spot in space . . . but not each other. The color overlap is minimal, emphasizing their differences.
   
   These images are even more arresting when the pair are portrayed looking away from one another as with Gianni Agnelli 1972 and Marella Agnelli 1972.
   In places, painterly backgrounds add remarkable depth and power to the images as with the Agnellis.
   
   In places, the painterly treatment is sufficient to remind one of the work of Degas such as Lee Radziwell, 1972.
   
   Portrait creators have always arranged sitters carefully to emphasize a certain point. Warhol does this in a very minimal way, often adding more than part of a hand touching the face or a bit of clothing. Because of its slight use, the impact is much stronger.
   
   How do the subjects fare? Those with strong personalities do best. Those with complex personalities are rendered beautifully, but aren't as accessible. Subjects who want to look physically attractive often appear merely decorative, like a background model at a party.
   
   Warhol's talent can best be seen by comparing the various ways he renders eyes. Male and female subjects alike receive slashes of color that sometimes resemble eye shadow and other times seem like tiny masks.
   
   There isn't much that's soulful about these works. They are more about promotion than about moral uplift. It's all the more surprising when that soulfulness appears as in Farah Dibah Pahlavai (Empress of Iran) 1977.
   
   Seeing Judy Garland 1979 and Liza Minelli 1979 made me wish that Warhol had done more mother-daughter combinations. These two stunners crawl right inside you.
   
   Part of Warhol's art comes in knowing something about the person. Where the subject is unknown, you'll find yourself a little more baffled about what the message is. Think of each of the celebrity portraits then as being in part a reflection of the public image and our current perceptions. Warhol uses this celebrity awareness to good purpose in creating very minimal works that express the dominant impression of a person (see Martha Graham 1980).
   
   As his career continued, the works became more daring. I was particularly drawn to the line drawings with bold bands of color such as in Paul Delvaux 1981 and Jean Cocteau 1985.
   
   Some of these portraits will cause you to stop and rethink what you know about the people. I had that reaction to the pairing of Prince Charles 1982 (coolly displayed as a young symbol of the monarchy) with the almost flirtatious Princess Diana 1982 (appearing as a powerful force with an earthy grounding).
   
   The portrait of John Lennon is simply stunning (1985-86).
   
   For a good sense of Warhol's progress, you'll enjoy seeing many of his self-portraits.
   
   Enjoy a good look!

No comments about The Painting of Modern Life.

5 comments about Warhol-o-rama.

1. "Warhol-o-rama" by Peter Oresick is creative, insightful, culture-grabbing and well-written.
   
   As poetry, it lacks. I am deciding to not consider it poetry, though, in the classic sense. Why? Andy Warhol was not an artist in the classic sense. Judging it, comparing it against the established canon of great literature would be unfair, and likely not Oresick's intention.
   
   Oresick takes and applies poetically aspects of Warhol's imagined life -- both the life we saw through his public appearances and the life we saw through his art, plus all kinds of intriguing curiosities that may have been Warholian.
   
   He did his homework. Relatively young at 55 years old, Oresick could not have known of Warhol in his pop culture heyday. An extra point goes to him for this, as it is clear he broadly examined Warhol's truth and legend.
   
   What's Here?
   This is difficult to explain. In short, Oresick took Andy Warhol out of the 1960s, and looked at him from the modern generation. Then, he wrote a poem or short creative structure piece about a part of Warhol. When he does it well, he mimics Warhol's own personality and style while looking him straight in the eye.
   
   Each piece is unique. While sometimes Oresick's tone and pace is reminiscent of another piece, he, like Warhol, did not limit himself stylistically. Unlike E. E. Cummings, another inventor of poetic structure, he remains in clarity. Readers can understand the subject the first read through. Those who know Warhol's life and work will see more references and allusions, but there is enough to satisfy the reader new to Warhol.
   
   Thankfully Oresick never relies on one style, or falls into 1960s-speak, or falls into a Beat style. Instead, he gives us Andy Warhol, not Kerouac or Dylan or Ginsberg.
   
   Some are short pithy statements like one titled, "For Andy Warhol Was a Flake among Artists." The piece is brief: "But an artist among flakes." Crammed with irony, adulation and insult, there is plenty to chew on, no matter what side of Andy veneration the reader sits.
   
   There is a letter, "Andy Warhol for the Widow of Andy Warhol." Warhol had a portable recorder he would call his 'wife' but was otherwise unmarried. The piece is a formal, stock letter from the New York Hospital asking his widow to pick up personal effects -- which is a ditto machine and aniline purple pigment. The line structure is poetry even though the text is prosaic.
   
   There's a parody, "Andy Warhol for Carpatho-Rusyns: A Polka," written to the tune of a Weird Al Yankovic song. It describes Warhol as bohemian and flamboyantly gay, themes Oresick explores heavily.
   
   The dependence on a caricature of Warhol, as opposed to looking at his deeper artistic impact is a weakness in the book. There is more than this, but the balance occasionally leans too close to the surface, and not enough toward the art. Still, given Warhol's own self-promotive persona, he himself might be smiling, having achieved this once again postmortem.
   
   In all, it is a dependable collection. Art students looking for a primer on Warhol's cultural impact can peruse this and gain a taste of what things were about. Nonartist writers like me, those of us who have seen Warhol's work with amusement, can get a better appreciation of what was going on. Warhol fans will delve happily into this, bathing in the statements and laughter of an unusual era in American art.
   
   I fully recommend "Warhol-o-rama" by Peter Oresick.
   
   Anthony Trendl
   http://AnthonyTrendl.blogspot.com



2. Peter Oriesick ('For a Living: The Poetry of Work', 'Working Classics: Poems on Industrial Life') is probably the poet most appropriate for creating this survey of a very peculiar and important artist - Andy Warhol. WARHOL-O-RAMA is in many respects a biography as important as any on this unique artist who invented Pop Art. And in keeping with the style of Warhol, Oresick has written poems in many styles, intentionally (it would seem) plagiarizing other poets in the way Warhol very freely copied other artists to make his own brand of restated reality. The result is a book of not only well-written poetry but also poems that crawl inside the psyche of the elusive artist in a way so clever that turning each page is an adventure in The Factory!
   
   Oresick divides his travelogue or rake's progress into six sections: Warhollabaloo, Warholevision, Warholanomics. Warholocaust, Warholafatigue, and Warholastalgia. In each section he explores different aspects of Andy Warhol's persona. Some are lyrical, some are nonsensical, some are imaginary conversations (or rather non-conversations) with the spaced out artist, and some are simply sonnets or elegies that celebrate what would have been Warhol's 80th birthday.
   
   This is a book for lovers of poetry, for admirers of the space in the art world that Andy Warhol created and over which he still reigns, and for students of art - whether in classroom or armchair. It is as delicious as a can of tomato soup (or Marilyn Monroe, or Liz Taylor, etc)! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 08



3. Peter Oresick, Warhol-o-rama (Carnegie Mellon, 2008)
   
   It's a credit to Peter Oresick that I feel exactly the way about Andy Warhol's art as I do about this book; in that sense, Warhol-o-rama does its job exceptionally well, and thus I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to it fans of Warhol's art. For those like me, though, who have always been stuck on that line of considering Warhol's work art and considering it crass opportunism, well, that makes for a much more difficult recommendation. Oresick uses many of the same techniques Warhol did (and makes no bones about pieces that are readymade, or heavily influenced by, say, Allen Ginsberg ["Andy Warhol for the Taj Warhol"]). Which makes it quite clever, to be sure, but does it make this poetry? I've gone off on this discussion long enough that the horse is now just skin and bones, so I'm not going to whip it any more here. I'll just say that you should be looking at it for content and subject matter, not for craft or artistry. But then, again, I'd say the same thing about Andy Warhol's stuff (and have). So you be the judge. ***



4. This is a unique and creative volumn of poetry---words, works that capture the life of Andy Warhol written in a variety of forms--and some with no form at all. Oresick, at times, writes the way Warhol himself would create. To understand exactly what he is doing you are at an advantage if you have some understanding of Warhol. If you don't understand Warhol, this book gives you background and knowledge of the man and his life. Andy himself would have loved this collection.
   
   Nah-sayers may be on alert, the same way they were when Pop Art became popular but remember Art is and always will be subjective to the viewer.
   My only criticism is when Oresick "reports" some of the poems in a newsclip form. I understood what he was doing but it fell kind of flat to me. The rest of it flies in originality and creativity.
   
   Point to note: While toting around this book, people took unusual notice and interest in it. The ones that flipped through were both amused and fascinated by the work. Conclusively, this is a book worth a read for many, many reasons.



5. Peter Oserick's Warhol-O-Rama was published in tribute to what would have been the highly influential pop artist's 80th birthday. The poetic cycle explores the connections (and influences, both ways) between Warhol and American pop culture--its tabloids, its urban legends, its media, its tourism, etc.). Even the table of contents is a tribute to Warhol--"Andy Warhol" starts the title of nearly every poem to create a verbal reminiscence on the repeating images of Mao or Monroe or Campbell's Soup in Warhol's work.
   
   And some of these poems are rather inventive and witty and spiritually connected to the thoughtful kitsch of Warhol. Poems like "Andy Warhol for Bollywood on Dueling Screens above the Bar at India Garden Café, Durham, England, July 2006" interlace two different texts in inconvenient ways for pleasurable effect, and some poems present themselves as Village Voice classifieds or fictional letters. Other poems, probably the strongest poems in here, like "Andy Warhol for Beginners" or "Andy Warhol for the FBI" or "Andy Warhol for the Andy Warhol in the Vanity Mirror," offer humor and high energy and Warholic sensibilities that all come together quite exquisitely to make them not just tributes to Warhol, or flights through pop culture, or experiments in form, but all three concurrently, letting the work rise to something higher as well.
   
   But other poems simply don't do much more than poke at a single dimension of the three mentioned above, and they come across as experiments more interesting to the poet than to me, or streams of information that are the typical mistake of research (Oresick includes an explanation at the end [a bad move, to include explanations on poetry] of the kind of research he did, but even before I came across this, I had the feeling of reading someone who was `too into' Warhol, who can rifle off all kinds of information but has little capacity to filter it in a way that proves most interesting--Oresick reads this sycophantically at times). Some poems also lapse into treatises of praise, which are less interesting than seeing Warhol's philosophy in action.
   
   Perhaps many of my above criticisms could be couched as reaction to a philosophical ideal in the book, and I don't dispute that Oserick has thought through the implications of this series and the rationales behind this cycle, but rationales do not poetry make, and sometimes it's the resistance to rationale that creates poetry. By the final section of this book, "Warholastalgia," Oserick's method has become a little tiresome--the fault of many themed collections is that the theme does not change, but instead runs itself into attrition. I waited for the theme to step up to the next level, to work against its initial intentions and create something that I had not previously expected, but this did not prove so by the end.

3 comments about Andy Warhol (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists).

1. This is a must have book for art teachers if your teaching
   kids about POP art or Andy Warhol himself.If your an art
   teacher and you have the 'getting to know the worlds greatest
   artists' series and you don't have the Andy Warhol book than
   the first thing you should do is buy this book from Amazon.com
   or from your nearest book store.



2. This is a significant book! I recommend it highly. It is especially helpful when wanting to teach young children about POP ART that existed in the early and late 70's. Andy Warhol is an inspiration because he is the first person be begin depicting "everyday life" into his works of art. He modeled the "Campbell's Soup Cans" and the "Marilyn Monroe" icons in order to make a strong point. He believed that much like we consumed mass produced products such as soups we were also "mass consuming" pop icons such a Marily Monroe. He brought out his ideas through many works of art. This is a great way to show young children about POP ART and about Andy Warhol's great accomplishments. Another pop artist that could be correlated with Warhol is Lichtenstein he also depicted "mass consumerism" but with comic books and neat techniques to acquire his pieces of art. GREAT STUFF!!!



3. My 9 year old grandson's fave artist is Andy W. and so it seemed natural to give to him. It is colorful, not a terribly big book and maybe a tad young for a 9 yr. old, but he still seemed to like it. Since he actually was Andy Warhol for Halloween last year, I try to buy him anything and everything Warhol I can find so if your child likes Warhol, this is something you should consider.

5 comments about POPism: The Warhol Sixties.

1. I originally bought this book in 1982 at the student bookstore. It blew me away with the story of how the "New York" 60s were so different from the "west coast" "flower children." In fact, I loved this book so much, I bought 8 or 10 copies and used them as presents whenever there was a friend's birthday or something. I must have given away my last copy, as I couldn't find mine anywhere. Now, 25 years later, I bought a new copy on Amazon.
   
   The book had a different cover and what was between the covers seemed different too. I was less blown away that I was at age 19. Its still a great (interesting and lots of fun) read, but something was missing for me. Whatever it was that caused me to focus so much on it 25 years ago seemed less vibrant and relevant.
   
   Whether I've changed or the times have changed (both, I guess), this book is a look at (Andy Warhol's) time in the 60s from Andy Warhol in 1980. This book seems so "innocent" (if that term makes sense in this context) from the perspective of the jaded and self-referential present.
   
   Still interesting, but not the Earth-shattering book I thought it once was.



2. The intimate stories of the cultural changes that represented the 1950s are told by one who was at the center of the storm: Andy Warhol. In his studio, the Factory, he created large canvases of what came to define Pop Art, listened to music which reflected a radical new generation's energy, and remained at the hub of the avant garde. No other book recreates the pop atmosphere of the times - and any reader of 1960s history and culture must have it.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. Having read several other books about Andy Warhol by people other than
   Andy, I feel this book help to bring him alive better than any have I read so far. It starts out in the 60s just as PoP Culture was
   gaining so much recognition.



4. This is a must have for any true Andy Warhol fan. It reads like a novel and sheds great insight to what it was like during the early factory days. Andy Warhol led a very interesting life and this book allows the reader to see things from Andy's perspective - what it was like in Andy's world during the 1960's. I would also recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the pop art movement, since a lot of key players are also mentioned throughout this book. Andy does not sugar-coat the hardships which allows for a realistic perspective. Pat Hackett did a wonderful job editing this book!



5. I really enjoyed reading this book, Andy and Pat Hackett have an interesting and humerous way of putting things together. If your interested in the Warhol 60's and the Superstars, who better to hear it from then "The Man" himself. In many ways I felt I was there with them...

3 comments about Andy Warhol's Colors.

1. I love this book for it's obviously quirky illustrations of colors. Really cute, small book, perfect for my toddler who adores it. A nice change from the usual color board books on the market.



2. I was very excited to find this book for my child. I love Andy Warhol myself so I figured I'd enjoy it too. My kid LOVES it. The pics are great, with just a little bit of writing. It's also made with hard pages so it's difficult to distroy. We've read it over and over and it's still a big hit.



3. This is a great book for toddlers - and their art loving mummies and daddies!
   My 15 month old girl absolutely loves this book. I bought this for her first birthday and we've read it every day since. And she still gets excited about it every time!
   The quirky illustrations are fantastic and the text flows very nicely.
   A must read!

5 comments about Andy Warhol 365 Takes: The Andy Warhol Museum Collection.

1. Think of this as an Andy a day keeping the aggravation away. Compiled by the staff of the Andy Warhol Museum (located in Pittsburgh, PA, and this year celebrating its tenth anniversary), this is a monumental, if scattered, collection of everything Warhol, deliberately non-traditional and open-ended. Fashion sketches from the `50s, Polaroids, the Brillo boxes, stills from his movies and television appearances, silkscreens and pencil drawings, the Death and Disaster Series, the Three Marilyns, the collaborations with the Velvet Underground ... it's all here, and it's all interlaced with quotes from Warhol, and "experts" on Warhol. The experts, today, sound like bozos, but there is humor and humanity in all of Warhol's comments. 365 Takes is a big book, perhaps too big, since Warhol is best savored in smaller doses. Still, the book certainly whets one's appetite for more concentrated, linear works of this great artist. Warhol's take on the middle of the twentieth century is astoundingly accurate and informed. Certainly very much the artist as an outsider observing the current culture, his views are surprisingly kind and simple. Let's face it: We all love gossip, dirty pictures and celebrities. Maybe we couldn't admit it back then, but it was true. And, of course, we all love Campbell's Soup.



2. This is a thoughtful book which does not leave much out until you get to the index on pages 740-742. The pages are long horizontally, usually presenting text and a large number running from 1 on the page after page 5 to 365 on the page two pages before page 736. The index lists the big numbers only, the "Take" number. Are punching bags in the index? No. Is Jean-Michel Basquiat in the index? Yes, for six Takes under "Basquiat, Jean-Michel" and for three of the same Takes under "Jean-Michel Basquiat" (portraits, only one of which includes "and urine on canvas"). Is The Last Supper in the index? Yes, for three Takes. Do any of the Takes listed for Jean-Michel Basquiat coincide with Takes listed for The Last Supper? No, neither three or six, none! Which Take has ten punching bags? Take 255!!! How many times is Take 255 in the index? Just once, for "Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper)." Obviously, to use the index you need to know precisely what you are looking for.
   
   In my previous review of a DVD on Andy Warhol as a great artist of the 20th century, I believe I understated how many times the word "JUDGE" appears on the ten punching bags. In the view shown in the photo in Take 255, I can count 5 times on the first, 6 times on the second, then 3, 5, 4, 4, 1, 1, 3, and 4 times, respectively, on the third to the tenth bag. Most of the bags look black and white, but the eighth bag has a blue crown or dark halo which might obscure a second "JUDGE" or "JESUS," a blue shape like a torso with head, the words "LEAD" and "ASBESTOS" and possibly BS, with a copyright insignia after the "JUDGE" at the bottom of the eighth punching bag. The bags are hanging so close together that a physics student is bound to wonder how many bags would start swinging if viewers had the opportunity to give a bag on one end a good punch into the rest of the line. The head of Christ appears to be largest on the first, fifth, and sixth punching bags, with the second and eighth having the smallest heads, to produce a standing wave effect even when the 14 inch diameter by 42 inch long bags are hanging stationary from chains to big beams in the ceiling. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh used to be a big warehouse, and Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper) might still be hanging there, because Entry 255 is not listed in the Photograph Credits, unless the bags are included in the bragging rights claimed by "Except where otherwise noted, ownership of all material is The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh." (p. 742). I hope they never catch me walking into that place with my practice gloves on.



3. Huge book - don't let appearance on the internet fool you, it's a brick (about 3inches thick!) and packed full of information; Andy's life, his work, his love his passion it's amazing.
   
   The book takes you on a journey through early years to his death and how his art transformed throughout his career. It shows Andy's sketches and un-released art and art from his private collection.
   
   Fascinating and a brilliant coffee table book.
   
   Stunning 5 stars



4. My girlfiend really loves the book. It seems to be an interesting book of writings, facts, and art.



5. The package came faster then I thought especially right before christmas. Also it came sealed which was great.

5 comments about The Andy Warhol Diaries.

1. I got this book as a gift, right after it was published in the late eighties. Since then, I've read & re-read it more times then I can count. It's just as much fun on the umpteeth read as it was on the first.
   
   The entire Mick-Jerry-Bianca-Halston-Studio 54 entries are hilarious. It wouldn't bother me a bit if his diary was published in its entirety someday. I'd read all of the doggone 20,000 pages!
   
   It was shocking when Andy died unexpectedly in 1987. Every time I read the book, it's like a clock ticking in my head as time, unbeknownst to him, runs out, and far too soon.



2. 
   the Andy Warhol Diaries. 900 pages. 1976-1987. the closest look ever at warhol's actual thought processes, opinions & speech pattern. Not the shy,. fumbling public affectation of decades of interviews. Actual day to day diary entries dictated by andy of the last 12 years of his life. backdrop: the 70s disco/studio 54 era; then the 80s art/business explosion & various losses in andy's personal life. Anyone who lived through these years, particularly in nyc and /or the nightlife and art worlds, will find so many events they recall in their memory. Warhol'd depictions of friends & various celebrities are candid, frank, brutal, humorous. This is the closest you will ever get to Andy's real feelings thoughts tone & expression. Its a bit of a committment- it must be read chronologically, it took me just over a month to read all 900 pages. but it was vastly rewarding & the insight into the real warhol is priceless; also if you were alive in this time you will reflect upon your own journey during 1976-1987. the portraits of just halston, bianca jagger & basquiat drawn alone are worth the 900 pages. rating: A



3. Yes, I know it was narrowed down from 20,000 pages (what a job in itself) but its going to take me forever to finish this book. It's not a book you can breeze through. You're in for the long haul with this one. I'm not a fan of Warhol's work but I love the scene of the 60's, 70's & 80's and this book is definitely an insight to what was happening during those times in the theater & art world.



4. somehow the tone, pacing and repetition of names, places and events gets into you and one finds oneself unable to put this book down...I was sorry when it ended...there aren't any truly major revelations to be gleaned
   from reading about the openings, parties, discos, etcetera which are featured on every page of this quite large paperback edition...it just grabs you and the narrative voice keeps flowing along...the mundane details of the day take on a new importance and the rich & famous are often skewered by the diarist's pen...highly recommended!



5. Not a book to read cover to cover, but for dipping into while sitting on the can (for example), it's great. Portrait of New York scene is fascinating, especially as you watch AIDS creep into the picture. You also get a sense of what Andy Warhol was like as a person who had to deal with all of the daily things that everyone has to deal with.
   
   In a weird way, Andy Warhol was the Samuel Pepys of New York.

5 comments about Andy Warhol: Giant Size.

1. Fantastic pictorial book...worth every penny. If you are a fan of Warhol, this is the book to own. Great prints of Andy's work from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s - including rare prints. You won't be disappointed - it is all here. The dimensions are impressive at 17" x 13" x 2 1/2", and it makes for a beautiful coffee table book that you will be proud to display. The pictures are sharp, both in color and b&w, and many are full-page, including pics of Andy and Edie. Outstanding!



2. Definitely worth the money!
   
   I've recently got into andy warhol and this is the second book i have by him. The book has stunning portraits/photographs/art thats what i love about andy warhol everything is unique and different.I wasn't sure what to expect with this book however i'm glad that I purchased it.
   
   You also might want to check out "Men - Andy Warhol"



3. My daughter is 24 years old and she is an aspiring artist. Andy Warhol is her very favorite. I got her this book for Christmas and it is her most favorite thing. She says that the detail that it has is facinating and compelling. One word of advice though...it is one HEAVY book so make sure that you are in a comfortable place to support it while you are reading.



4. This is a real great (and large ;-) ) book with beatiful reproductions of Andy Warhol. My children love to go through it. It was also for sale on the Warhol exhibition in the "Stedelijk Museum" in Amsterdam last year.



5. Bought as a gift for a 21st birthday. Will be a memory that he can keep for a long time with a personal message on the inside front cover.
   
   Great gift idea! Would highly recommend

5 comments about The Philosophy of Andy Warhol : (From A to B and Back Again).

1. I used to think that Andy Warhol was not a real artist, only a great self promoter. This book, written in his own words, proved my prejudice to be completely wrong and uncalled for. Much of what we encounter today in popular culture was forecasted in this book by Warhol. If only the best economists could even be 10 percent as right about their forecasts!



2. According to page 208 of the Warhol Biography 'Holy Terror; Andy Warhol Close Up' by Bob Colacello (1990), Warhol delegated the actual writing of the book to Colacello and Pat Hackett. Colacello wrote the first draft and Hackett wrote the version that was published. Warhol's contribution was to set up the deal, offer a few suggestions and one-liners, and read the finished pages before they were sent off to the publisher.
   
   If a silkscreen created by Warhol's assistants (carefully aping his art style) but signed by Warhol is still "authentic," does that mean an autobiography written by Warhol's assistants (carefully aping his speaking style) but credited to Warhol on the cover is still an "authentic" autobiography?



3. Andy Warhol is known for throughing america back on its face. He's way of thinking is exuberant and unusual. The book made me see things from an angle i never thought to look from. As a fan of, not only the work, of Andy Warhol this book satisfied my wish to come a little closer from understanding his brilliant mind. One of my favorite books.



4. I recently had lunch at the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh PA from where I purchased this book. With me was a very intellectual Indian guy who hadn't heard of Warhol nor was he familiar with his work. He wanted to understand who this person was and understand his significance.
   
   Without thinking much about it, I explained that Warhol was a central figure in the pop art scene who made the spirit of art--the ability to see everyday things in a different light and from multiple perspectives--available to the common man. How was it that I knew this? It wasn't any remarkable brilliance on my part, rather I would credit the ability of Andy Warhol to make a philosophical statement purely on the basis of his art. That an artistically untrained person such as myself could get this is a reflection of Andy Warhol's genius.
   
   Andy Warhol made the living essense of art available to the common man by showing him the beauty of popular culture.
   
   Warhol is an iconic American figure and we should really appreciate this fact. His appreciation of blue jeans, ballpark hot dogs, a Coke and yes obviously Campbells soup is revolutionary in that no one else at that time, save a happy go lucky American could appreciate that. In that vein, what is truly American about Warhol's art is that it is divorced from any specific tradition, thus apart from any cultural phenomenon and so it stands as an inspiration to see that commercialization as the American way has indeed an equalizing power unparalleled by any political or philosophical system. I do believe that Warhol appreciated this fact and there are many other unique insights to the American experience that support this point of view.
   
   The book itself is loosely based on categories of human interest...Love, Fame, Work, Time, Death etc. Within these chapters, Warhol observes from his experience and those of his acquaintences simple ideas that put the world into perspective for him. I find his approach to be existential in that he simply observes in journalistic fashion the effects of lifes experiences and the results to his thinking.
   
   The tone is conversational and you get the impression from the narrative that you are witnessing some spectacle and hearing Warhol's commentary and this makes the book very easy to read. It is not pretentious or pompous, rather there is an innocence and naivete to Warhol that comes through.
   
   There are more than a few gems, one the most important the paradoxical aspects of life in terms of success. I find it extraordinary that he felt that good business was an art as very few seem to appreciate this fact.It seems that Warhol's commercial motivations for art gave rise to the best work produced by him. Though I would not be quick to dismiss him as an artistic prostitute.
   
   A worthwhile read for anyone who is constantly on the lookout for evidence that the American experiment has noteworthy contributions towards social development.



5. This book was very funny and a great insight on how Andy's mind works.
   Some of his philosophy is so far from the norm that when you think about it it actually might work. Its a quick read, seemingly a lot of it is actual transcribed conversations, so some things get a bit monotonous like an hour long conversation with B about what she cleaned all day. (I think the idea is that B is high and rambling, but its pretty funny when you think about it). I laughed out loud through most of the book, I highly recommend it if you're an Andy fan.