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Cultural Scene and Heard: Pop Goes the Easel – Warhol Out West
By Mike Sweeney
Few icons of the modern art world loom as large as the talented and eccentric Andy Warhol. His stylistic pop art masterpieces have captivated the public for decades, with colorful paintings and glittering screen prints making as indelible an impression as his shock of white hair. Las Vegas residents now have a chance to enjoy some of the master’s works at the “Warhol Out West” exhibit, now on display at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, which features many of Warhol’s depictions of celebrity, advertisements, brand products and other hallmarks of popular culture.
Once Upon a Time in the West
One of the most impressive parts of the exhibit is Warhol’s rarely seen “Cowboys and Indians” series, which explores the myths and folklore of the American West. Historical figures such as Annie Oakley, Geronimo and George Armstrong Custer come to life in dazzling screen prints, where brilliant colors mix with Warhol’s unique aesthetic to take them out of reality and propel them into legend. It’s fitting, then, that the series includes a portrait of John Wayne, who elevated fanciful notions of the American cowboy to new heights. The series also portrays images of Native American life in the same Warhol style. While it may seem contradictory for a pop art devotee to explore such a seminal part of American history, we must remember that Warhol brings his sensibilities to it. He’s dealing not in reality but rather our perceptions of it.
Cultural Learning
With the proliferation of advertising and social media, we are bombarded by pop culture in ways that Warhol could only dream about. Still, his remarkable skill for capturing the consumer zeitgeist is on full display here. Corporate logos for titans such as Paramount, Apple and Chanel practically explode out of their frames with stunning colors and flair. Even something as simple as a can of Campbell’s soup transforms into an artistic likeness so ingrained in our culture that it has come to stand as the defining image of its creator’s work. Warhol saw it as more than just a can of soup; he saw it as something completely emblematic of the American way of life, something we all have in common. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a hot bowl of soup on a cold night? These simple painted and framed representations of soup cans show the power of art to bring us together and connect our disparate lives through the most seemingly insignificant things.
Famous Faces
Warhol’s fascination with celebrity is represented throughout the gallery, most notably in a series of Polaroid photographs taken of famous friends by Warhol himself. These snapshots of celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone, Truman Capote, Dennis Hopper, Princess Caroline and many more were taken against a bare backdrop with a direct flash, casting the normally luminescent stars in a somewhat unflattering, “real” light. These aren’t the polished photo portraits of Annie Leibovitz; these are pop culture candids, raw and unprocessed. It shatters our familiar airbrushed notions of celebrity and makes these cultural icons that much more relatable.
While the Polaroids may lean more toward realism, Warhol’s screen prints of figures such as Dolly Parton, Georgia O’Keefe and others (himself included) pop with his usual color and style. Even the ubiquitous Mona Lisa finds herself reworked by Warhol’s hand. With multiple images of art history’s most famous woman in various sizes, Warhol not only expresses our obsession with mass production but also our fondness for celebrities, even ones dating back to the Renaissance. One of the most famous celebrity portraits on display here has to be the renowned silkscreen print “Double Elvis” which features a bifurcated image of the King taken from a publicity still for the western film Flaming Star. Striking a cowboy pose, his six shooter pointed right at us, the image once again connects western clichés with the alluring power of celebrity.
“Warhol Out West” gives us an intimate look at one of pop art’s greatest icons and helps to further his intent to challenge our notions of consumerism, celebrity and our perceptions of the world. Warhol saw things in a unique light, and this exhibit gives us the chance to do the same.
For tickets and more information, call 693-7871 or visit www.bellagio.com/bgfa.
