Hilarious blog. Some of the sellers make that woman skinning rabbits in "Roger & Me" seem dignified in her pursuit of a buck. We're doomed, we gave it a good go as a country, but let's call the whole thing off.
Did the Internet suddenly become something whose sole point is to stun me into fucking silence at once a day?
I mean...Jesus, the Frida Kahlo Uterus Plushie ([www.regretsy.com]). That's like Judy Chicago meets Ty Beanie Babies meets Adult Swim. Whoever made that...well, it must absolutely exhausting for them to be both "cute" and "weird" at all times like that.
So, to lean on an overused phrase: A+++++ WILL BUY AGAIN
Warhol did care about art, and was extremely knowledgeable about it. Though it didn't fit his public persona to seem well-informed, he was extremely aware of the artists and art world of his time, always. But his detachment also comes from the fact that early on the "serious" art world snubbed him quite hard.
And no one snubbed him quite as hard as Jasper Johns. As with his crush on Capote, Warhol was impressed with Johns' meteoric early success, being taken seriously by all the "right" people. But Johns sharply rejected Andy's overtures of friendship. Deeply closeted himself, he and Rauschenberg mocked Andy as "Wendy Airhole". The AbEx macho ethos was still afoot in the late 1950's art world, and Warhol simply could not "pass", he was too femme, and Johns and Rauschenberg found that deeply threatening- they didn't want to be associated with him. And many others in the artworld at this time disliked his work, thought it fey, decadent, unserious. He was treated as a gay illustrator, and it took him years to get beyond that stigma.
Andy was deeply wounded by his rejection from the art world of the time. So if he seems dumb about it, or catty about Johns, it was coming from a certain pain of rejection. Of course, it freed him to do his own thing, in a famously novel and striking way. But yes, he cared about art, he just felt the art world didn't care much for him.
@Foster Kamer: Hey, thanks, Foster. I start typing, the gin takes over, and I've written a thesis, ach. I know you weren't making a declaration, just musing like i do too. Appreciate the topic, an interesting time.
@Glib and Bitchy: He really would love it, Glib, you're so right. Reminiscent of the tale of Warhol's 13 Most Wanted Men.
Warhol was commissioned to do a large-scale work for the 1964 World's Fair in Queens, affixed to the exterior of a round pavillion. He chose to do massive silkscreen prints of "Wanted" posters, printed on metal. Objections erupted when it was unveiled- that it was a glorification of mob figures, a bad representation of NYC. etc. It looked very cool in extant photos.
But unsaid in the uproar: the 13 "most wanted" men he chose were also uncommonly handsome, gangster-sexy. The homoerotic subtext of the series in a public fair might also have played a part in their destruction, "wanted" given a subversive alternate meaning.
Rather than have the panels removed for the family-friendly 1964 World's Fair, in a Mad Men era, Warhol chose to leave the panels up, but had them sprayed with opaque silver. Underneath the silver paint were images of homoerotic desire- handsome gangsters, veiled , censored, erased. Something of the Catholic iconicism of Warhol makes me think this plan, this veiling of truth- gay desire under a silver veil- as deeply subversive.
@Baroness: You my dear have just single handedly re-ignited my faith in Gawker commenters.
And perhaps humanity. If I may be so bold.
Actually each and every one of you here has. What a great discussion. (I will however not DARE click on that 'Show hidden threads' link... which I know will send me into the pits of despair.)
I'm OK with reality tv - until it starts messing with the last form of real art - ART. Dammit, Bravo! We've been such good friends and now you go and do this? What's gonna happen to my art history degree now?!?!
Bring out the shovel!
Ugh, I fear that as a professional art fag my morbid curiosity is going to demand I watch the fuck out of this show and it will will result in some serious drunken shouting at the TV. But I must see this train wreck unfold. If you've seen Simon de Pury do his thing at an auction, he's a rock a star, but the art in this shit is destined to be such immense variety of garbage that it'll be impossible to even evaluate. I just hope they get someone really smart and cutting to fill the role of "asshole judge." I'd suggest Gary Indiana but he kind of resembles the backwards talking midget from Twin Peaks and I justdon't see that happening in Bravo's sparkly, sparkly universe.
Oh well! Drinking game rule #1: Do 500 shots when Julian Schnabel makes his (inevitable) first appearance.
10/11/09
10/10/09
Hilarious blog. Some of the sellers make that woman skinning rabbits in "Roger & Me" seem dignified in her pursuit of a buck. We're doomed, we gave it a good go as a country, but let's call the whole thing off.
My favorite. "Got most of the cheese out of it."
10/10/09
10/10/09
I mean...Jesus, the Frida Kahlo Uterus Plushie ([www.regretsy.com]). That's like Judy Chicago meets Ty Beanie Babies meets Adult Swim. Whoever made that...well, it must absolutely exhausting for them to be both "cute" and "weird" at all times like that.
So, to lean on an overused phrase: A+++++ WILL BUY AGAIN
10/10/09
10/11/09
10/10/09
10/10/09
10/10/09
10/10/09
Edit: Now I'm only able to see the goat coat.
10/10/09
10/10/09
10/10/09
10/10/09
10/11/09
10/10/09
09/12/09
09/12/09
09/12/09
And no one snubbed him quite as hard as Jasper Johns. As with his crush on Capote, Warhol was impressed with Johns' meteoric early success, being taken seriously by all the "right" people. But Johns sharply rejected Andy's overtures of friendship. Deeply closeted himself, he and Rauschenberg mocked Andy as "Wendy Airhole". The AbEx macho ethos was still afoot in the late 1950's art world, and Warhol simply could not "pass", he was too femme, and Johns and Rauschenberg found that deeply threatening- they didn't want to be associated with him. And many others in the artworld at this time disliked his work, thought it fey, decadent, unserious. He was treated as a gay illustrator, and it took him years to get beyond that stigma.
Andy was deeply wounded by his rejection from the art world of the time. So if he seems dumb about it, or catty about Johns, it was coming from a certain pain of rejection. Of course, it freed him to do his own thing, in a famously novel and striking way. But yes, he cared about art, he just felt the art world didn't care much for him.
09/12/09
09/12/09
Good to know. Curious to learn more. I always thought of him as sort of a pet rock.
09/12/09
@Baroness: Thanks so much. I'm no expert, but somehow I think Warhol might have appreciated this. I know I would like a copy (or a multiple series).
09/12/09
09/12/09
09/12/09
Warhol was commissioned to do a large-scale work for the 1964 World's Fair in Queens, affixed to the exterior of a round pavillion. He chose to do massive silkscreen prints of "Wanted" posters, printed on metal. Objections erupted when it was unveiled- that it was a glorification of mob figures, a bad representation of NYC. etc. It looked very cool in extant photos.
But unsaid in the uproar: the 13 "most wanted" men he chose were also uncommonly handsome, gangster-sexy. The homoerotic subtext of the series in a public fair might also have played a part in their destruction, "wanted" given a subversive alternate meaning.
Rather than have the panels removed for the family-friendly 1964 World's Fair, in a Mad Men era, Warhol chose to leave the panels up, but had them sprayed with opaque silver. Underneath the silver paint were images of homoerotic desire- handsome gangsters, veiled , censored, erased. Something of the Catholic iconicism of Warhol makes me think this plan, this veiling of truth- gay desire under a silver veil- as deeply subversive.
09/12/09
And perhaps humanity. If I may be so bold.
Actually each and every one of you here has. What a great discussion. (I will however not DARE click on that 'Show hidden threads' link... which I know will send me into the pits of despair.)
07/20/09
07/20/09
07/20/09
Bring out the shovel!
07/19/09
07/19/09
Oh well! Drinking game rule #1: Do 500 shots when Julian Schnabel makes his (inevitable) first appearance.