My objective is to compare the works and ideas of Andy Warhol (Pop Art), with Jeff Koons (Neo Pop Art). I hope to find commonalities and differences that will allow me to conclude that Pop Art has been more than a celebration or popular culture. However, it can also challenge how we experience, consume and interpret our daily life. They have made art accessible to all, despite it being a privilege that is reserved for the wealthy and well-educated.
Jeff Koons is a magnetized artist who has attracted attention from critics and the public since the 1980s. Koon has been praised for his ability to utilize the internal promotional channels to help him promote himself as an artist. His promotion hype has been equaled, if no more, to Andy Warhol’s. The same hype that surrounded Andy Warhol 20 years ago. Koon openly supports appropriating commercial mass media’s communicative power to get his message across.
“I want people to notice my efforts. I want my message to reach as many people as I can. Advertising and TV are the best ways to communicate right now. The art world isn’t effective at the moment.
The strategy has been demonstrated by Koons’ personal appearances in a wide variety of commercial media. He has a sharp sense of business and a sophisticated eye for how to promote his art. This is where Warhol’s kinship is evident. Warhol’s remarks clearly show the commercial ambitions of both artists’ major projects.
“I would like to be an Art Businessman/Art Artist. It is fascinating to be a successful businessman. People used to dismiss business in the hippie age. But, making money is art. Working is art. And good business is best art.
Both Warhols and Koons have been a key part in changing the perception that artists only become wealthy and famous after they cease to exist.
Comparisons between Warhol & Koons may have merits. However, Koons takes many aspects of Warhol’s work and alters the meanings. However, they both have their critics. They both take a hands-off approach when creating art, and both are aware of and actively engage in the promotion aspects of mass media commercial.
Warhol’s “hands-off” approach and his rejection of the idea that skill and craftsmanship were a way to express his personality was enhanced by his adoption mechanical processes such as film and silkscreen print. Warhol accepted many flaws and didn’t try to fix them. One example of this is in Marilyn Diptych. ‘Marilyn Diptych, 1962 (silkscreen and canvas).
‘The reason why I’m painting in this manner is because I want it to be a machine. To learn more about Andy Warhol’s work, you can look at my films and paintings. You’ll see me. Andy Warhol said there was nothing to it.
His work echoes the imperfections of his actress, whose self-image is degraded by the repeated repetition of her image. The right hand panel has its image physically degraded to black and white as the ink runs out on silkscreen. This reflects fame’s fleeting nature. They combine to make a powerful statement about celebrity’s ability to destroy and create its acquaintances. Without even realising it, Warhol’s work was deeper than he thought.
