Andy Warhol Soup Cans Analysis

whom fought against the conventional standards of the time. 

During the late 1950's, the continuation and acceleration of the 'affluent society' demonstrated a society in which the leading economic imperative was on the transition from production /work to consumption and leisure. Shops increased their availability in terms of styles and furnishing, while the experience of shopping also demonstrated change. Growth in supermarkets and self-service systems planted more emphasis on direct choice by the shopper and encouraged sales. Clothes shopping – especially by the youth – was revolutionised by the growth in boutiques. It was through the rise and transformation in styles of advertising and product branding that the subjective legitimacy of

Recognised for his paintings of mass produced commercial goods - Andy Warhol remains one of the most prolific and beloved artists of his time. In 1962, he displayed the now-iconic paintings of Campbell’s soup cans. Why did Warhol start painting soup cans? His simple response ‘because I used to drink it. I used to have the same lunch every day, for twenty years, I guess, the same thing over and over again’. From this answer alone, I can now somewhat relate to his way of thinking and acknowledge the reasons behind his repetitive print style - emulated in his renown works of Marilyn Monroe. In terms of the concept of consumerism, Warhol once said ‘when you think about it, department stores are kind of like museums’. Which makes me question, was the ideology behind his creations a theory to make money; or was it simply a ploy to make people aware of the current issue of the rise in consumerism and each individuals desire to endlessly spend. During the 1970’s, Warhol witnessed his career go through something of a decline, when many in the art world believed he had lost his cheerful sting with an extensive series of portraits of society figures - commissions done to essentially make money. In terms of rejection, and making art simply because of art; new artists were also breaking away from the standard and conventional painted art

On October 6, 1966, the “Love Pageant Rally’ was held in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Over two thousand people gathered together, where they danced to the music of the Grateful Dead, and a local band called Big Brother and the Holding Company - whom were featuring their new singer, Janis Joplin. The ‘Love Pageant Rally’ was not coordinated to protest California’s new anti-LSD law; the group of Hippie writers, musicians and enthusiasts who organised the rally opposed confrontations with the San Francisco Police Department. They openly believed they could change the world through love and celebration. The ‘Human Be-In’ took place at the same location on January 14, 1967. It was a prelude to the ’Summer of Love’ - where an immense number of celebrants attracted national media attention to the psychedelic Haight-Ashbury community, and encouraged everyone involved realisation and awareness of the profound new movement in American culture. Its main leader, Allen Cohen, later recalled the ‘Human Be-In’ as a necessary meld that brought together philosophically opposed factions of the current San Francisco based counterculture - on one side, the Berkeley extremists, who were in support of increased militancy in response to the United States government’s Vietnam War policies, while, on the opposing side, the comparatively non-political Haight-Ashbury hippies, who