The Supreme Court vs. Andy Warhol
When I started working on this illustration, I had a clear image of depicting Warhol’s legacy by the use of the Campbell soup can (his most-known work) as the central image, but with my own distinct interpretation and styling. I then thought of how I could relate the central themes of this podcast episode to other media I have consumed. The novel “Yellowface” came to mind because it thematizes similar conflicts to that of the Warhol case. I further developed my one-pager by adding my own insights, as well as the opinions of the Warhol foundation and the Supreme Court. By the end, I thought it would make a satirical twist if I were to take inspiration from Warhol’s other most known characters, including Prince (whom the episode was concerned with). At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to represent them. I then came up with the idea to portray them as Supreme Court judges, Prince and Marilyn Monroe, and the ‘intellectual’ Mao Zedong with an opulent top hat that he would never have worn.
My intention was to come up with a piece of work that is engaging and humorous to showcase the controversy surrounding Warhol’s work. As someone who is interested in both writing and art as forms of expression, I wanted to find a harmonious way to blend the two to create something that would reflect my perception of the world of Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol was a controversial figure within the art world for his silkscreen prints that used photographs which did not belong to him. During the making of my one-pager, it was difficult at times to separate my art from his artistic style: to not do what he is criticized for and remain unhypocritical; but I believe I have succeeded by constructing my own flair and giving credit to the original works in my one-pager. In the end, I hope to have created something that clearly reflects the content of the episode, while also using illustrations to capture the attention of the viewer.
