Mid Modern Blog

Campbell's Soup Cans by Andy Warhol

Campbell's Soup Cans was made by Andy Warhol between 1961-1962 in Andy Warhol's studio in Manhattan. Andy Warhol inspired awe with these paintings as he created 32 paintings of different Campbell soups, all on separate canvases. Andy Warhol hired someone to take various pictures of the soup cans as he then projected the photos onto the canvas, drew the edges, and filled in the outlines with paint. These paintings are an example of pop art which was popular in the mid modern art era. Warhol was considered to be the beginning of pop art which was a movement that brought working-class American subjects into fine art.

The elements are shown in this painting through repetition, flat color, and uniformity. The repeated image of the Campbell's soup can in multiple canvases emphasize the idea of mass production and consumerism. Each can is nearly identical, creating a sense of consistency and lack of artistic individuality. Warhol uses bold colors directly from the can's design, simplifying the image and emphasizing the graphic quality.  All the paintings have about the same placement as the next, slightly different but very identical to one another. The Campbell's Soup Cans painting gives the emotions of nostalgia, familiarity, and every day life. A simple object or label such as the Campbell soup can gives many people the memories of childhood, as many adults as kids ate Campbell's soups and enjoyed them. 

Shot Marilyns by Andy Warhol

Shot Marilyns was also made by Andy Warhol in 1964 in Manhattan. In 1962, Andy Warhol started experimenting with silkscreens which is a technique that uses a mesh screen to transfer an image onto a surface, this painting was made out of those silkscreens. After he had been experimenting with silkscreens on other celebrities, Marilyn Monroe had recently died and he was amazed by her work so he created these 4 different colored canvases of her. The Shot Marilyns painting was also pop art which again was popular in the mid modern era of art. Andy Warhol often featured famous people in his work as many were obsessed with celebrity culture at the time.  

Shot Marilyns inspires awe through elements of color, repetition, and diversity. Warhol uses vibrant, contrasting colors to create a visually bold image and emphasize on the Hollywood glamour. Marilyn Monroe was different than most women at the time, she had a strong influence on her fashion and her empowerment of women. Warhol saw this when he studied her and wanted to incorporate that difference and diversity into these paintings of her. The most prominent element, where Marilyn's face is repeated across the canvases, highlights the repetitive nature of media portrayal of celebrities. In these painting, the emotions shown are sadness, passion, and slightly disturbing. The contrasting colors, such as red and blue, show sadness and passion. These contrasting colors evoke sides of Marilyn Monroe's life, such as her public issues and her private struggles. The name Shot Marilyns comes from after Warhol created these painting and he would host these outrageous parties in his studio. At one party, a woman  asked to shoot the Marilyn paintings, Warhol thought she meant "shoot" as in take photographs of. She then pulled a revolver out of her hand bag and shot 4 out of 5 Marilyn paintings in the head. Some the name in itself and the backstory behind this painting is slightly disturbing. 

Number 1 (Lavender Mist) By Jackson Pollock

Number 1 (Lavender Mist) was made by Jackson Pollock in 1950 in his studio on the East End of Long Island. Pollock used house paint drip, pour, and fling pigment from loaded brushes and sticks while walking around the canvas. He described this as wanting to be "apart of" or "in" his work. This painting, like many of his others, is an example of abstract expressionism. Abstract expressionism doesn't represent any external reality but tries to achieve its effect using shapes, colors, and textures. This style emerged after WWII and Pollock was a well-known abstract expressionist artist.  

Number 1 (Lavender Mist) inspires awe through elements of lines, color, and depth. The dense webs of irregular, crossing lines created by dripping and splattering paint, convey a sense of dynamic movement and energy across the canvas. Although the painting is flat, the layering of paint creates an illusion of depth due to the overlapping lines and varying densities of color. While not containing actual lavender, the combination of colors like black, white, pale pink, teal, and gray creates a dominant lavender-hue. The emotions in this painting are energy, chaos, and harmony. The intricate network of dripped paint lines creates a feeling of constant motion, energy, and vitality. The composition appears chaotic at first glance, the balanced distribution of color, and line throughout the canvas can also seem as harmonious. 

Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) by Jackson Pollock 

Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) was made by Jackson Pollock in 1950 in his studio in Springs, New York. The Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) painting was one of Pollocks largest pictures. Using the same technique as many of his other paintings, laying the canvas on the floor, pouring paint cans or using sticks to drip or fling paint onto the canvas. Pollocks painting had numbers instead of names as he didn't want to distract viewers with implied meanings. This painting is another example of abstract expressionism. Abstract expressionism breaks away from traditional processes like many of the paintings before the mid modern era. The mid modern era influenced many artists, styles, and opened up to be more than just paintings of objects and people.  

Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) inspires awe through elements of movement, colors, and scale. The chaotic yet controlled arrangement of lines across the canvas convey a strong sense of movement, as if the painting is actively flowing. The large size canvas helps with incorporating movement but impacts the viewer's experience, allowing them to feel immersed in the composition. This painting is primarily composed of earthy tones like browns, beiges, blacks, and whites, reflecting the palette of autumn. The emotions in Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) are liberation, complexity, and nature. The painting's expressive chaos evokes a sense of liberation or freedom. It also can express the complexity and unpredictability of life itself. Although it may be complex or chaotic, the earthy tones and rhythmic quality capture the spirit of autumn and nature. Pollock's abstract expressionist style allowed him to express his emotions through colors and movement instead of objects or figures. 

The Splash by David Hockney 

The Splash was made by David Hockney in 1966 in Los Angeles. The Splash is the second painting in a three painting series Hockney had created. Hockney was inspired by many backyard pools in Los Angeles, which he found to be an escape from reality. He used photographic compositing techniques to create The Splash, which celebrates the unpredictable flow of water. Hockney really wanted to to create an everlasting moment in time based off a short moment in reality, kind of similar to a Polaroid. The Splash is an example of pop art. Pop art was a major shift in modernism that challenged traditional art and culture, and introducing a new way of viewing art.  

The Splash inspires awe through emotions of excitement, jealousy, and loneliness. The splash in the water shows a dramatic moment that captures a split-second feeling of fun or joy in the summer. Jealousy is an emotion some viewers described to have, as they longed for that sense of escapism and a life that many can only dream of, living in sunny Los Angeles. Other viewers had experienced a sense of emptiness and loneliness while looking at the painting since there are no figures or object in the painting, meaning that the figure who dived in the water, may be lonely with that higher life style. The Splash also inspires awe through elements of color, composition, and lines. The painting is meticulously structured with a grid-like arrangement, emphasizing the geometric shapes of the pool, house, and diving board which further accentuates the disruption caused by the splash. The vivd, saturated colors are used to highlight the splash, with the bright blue pool contrasting the yellow diving board and the muted tones of the house in the background. The outline of the pool's edges, the diving board, and house are sharp, defined lines that create a sense of order and precision. Pollock loved this sunny, rich Los Angeles life style. 

My Parents by David Hockney 

My Parents was made by David Hockney in 1977 in London. Hockney had many attempts on this painting of his parents. Originally he was in the painting, in the reflection of the mirror but later recreated it without him in it. Hockney created this to immortalize his father who later passed a few years after this painting was made. It's more of a playful side of his parents as his father is reading and the mother is smiling at David. His parents are placed in a minimalistic, simple interior not to distract the viewers attention from the main focus of his parents. My Parents is also an example of pop art. Hockney utilizes bright colors, depicts everyday objects, and captures a relatable moment of intimacy which is a big part of pop art in the mid modern era.  

My Parents inspires awe through emotions of love, unease, and sadness. The painting has an overall sadness, despite the bright colors, due to the way the figures are positioned and their expressions. The mother is smiling but doesn't give the impression she is truly happy and the father is distracted. There is also a sense of unease in the painting as there is so much space between the figures but a reassurance that the couple has been together for a long time. This painting is a confession of Hockney's love for his parents and a meditation of their relationship. My Parents also inspires awe through elements of color, figure representation, and space. The background is minimal, allowing the focus to remain on the figures and creates an intimacy with their domestic space. The figure are depicted in a naturalistic style, capturing their physical features while also conveying their personalities through posture and expression. The vibrant, bold colors that are used, create a sense of warmth and vitality, while also highlighting the contrast between the figures and the background. Hockney had a close relationship with his parents and was one of the most famous pop art artists, so combining the two created an amazing painting. 

Work Cited 

“Campbell’s Soup Cans.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 July 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_Soup_Cans#:~:text=The%20reason%20he%20painted%20soup,money%2C%20and%20admired%20movie%20stars.

“Andy Warhol’s ‘Shot Marilyns.’” Andy Warhol’s “Shot Marilyns," https://news.masterworksfineart.com/2019/11/26/andy-warhols-shot-marilyns#:~:text=Podber%20then%20apparently%20peeled%20off,works%20Warhol%20%E2%80%9CShot%20Marilyns.%E2%80%9D 

“Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist).” Jackson Pollock, Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist), 1950, https://www.nga.gov/collection/highlights/pollock-number-1-1950-lavender-mist.html

American, Jackson Pollock. “Jackson Pollock: Autumn Rhythm (Number 30).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/488978. 

“David Hockney’s Iconic Masterpiece, ‘The Splash.’” Sothebys.Com, 5 Feb. 2020, https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/david-hockneys-iconic-masterpiece-the-splash

Tate. “‘My Parents’, David Hockney, 1977.” Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hockney-my-parents-t03255