As previously mentioned, Ana Mendieta also came from humble beginnings like Warhol. Her parents were against the Castro movement which could have a lot to do with her activist side in her and her artwork. In some of her artwork, she is in quite controversial positions. Some are of her drenched in animal blood, she has some that are nature made to look like female genitalia and she even has some where she is completely naked. Joanna Finkelstein, the author of The Art of Self Innovation, writes, "From physical appearance and sudden bodily gestures, we judge whether to engage with the other person or not" (107). I believe that Mendieta was trying to prove a lot with her nude pictures. Such as, "I am naked now, do you still look at me the same?"
Both Mendieta and Warhol were both prevalent in the 80's and that is when a lot of their best and most infamous work was created. Warhol was an artist that actually saw how glorified athletes and various other celebrities were becoming and started to do a project based off of that. The height of his career was the time period when the definition of who a celebrity was started to transform. Finkelstein writes, "In current terms, individuals such as Paris Hilton, Victoria and David Beckham, Jamie Oliver, Will Self and Karl Lagerfeld are regarded as celebrities, and become familiar with to mainstream audiences as advertisements for certain activities (fashion, sport, notoriety) and values" (Finkelstein 81). In one of Warhols projects, he does pop art photos of Marylin Monroe, Muhammed Ali and Michael Jackson.
In a way, Mendieta and Warhol became in sync with their work. They both were created work that was extremely thought-provoking and out of the norm. Also, the fame made both of them create their art differently then when they were unknown. Mendieta started to make more controversy art with her nudeness and bloody self portraits and Warhol started to really zoom in on celebrities that he befriended and some he didn't. However, fame effected both of their personal life as well. Mendieta was married to a well-known white artist who was actually her murderer. He became possessive and did not encourage her fame and talent the way a typical husband would. Warhol also had a jealous person in his life who was covered up as a friend. This friend actually shot him and nearly ended his life, but he actually came back stronger than ever.
Ana used materials such as nature and other nature made objects to create her artwork. Such as leaves, animal blood, coal, herself, etc. Warhol did use more manmade objects where he would create his pop art paintings in his studio. Ways of Seeing, author John Berger describes art as, "the new language" (33), and, "Within it we can begin to define our experiences more precisely in areas where words are inadequate"(33). The art that is created tells what the artist have been through and/or what they are currently going through.
Both artists had a bot of both invention in their works. Society definitely played a role in how their artwork turned out and how it ended up becoming. Even taking a look at both artist first and last pieces, it is prevalent that a lot has changed in their life since then (pictured below). However, as Berger says, "The art of any culture will show a wide differential of talent" (88).
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| Ana covered in pig's blood |
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| Ana naked while holding a chicken |
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| Ana one with nature covered in mud |
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| One of Andy's first sketches |
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| Andy's last drawing |
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| Andy |
WORKS CITED
Rosen, Miss. “This Radical Latina Artist Fought for Women’s Rights and Paid with Blood.” Vice, vice, 30 Apr. 2018, www.vice.com/en_us/article/gym79y/ana-mendieta-fought-for-womens-rights-and-paid-with-blood. Accessed 8 Oct. 2019.
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing; a Book Made by John Berger. New York, Viking Press, 1973.
Finkelstein, Joanne. The Art of Self Invention : Image and Identity in Popular Visual Culture. London, I.B. Tauris, 2007.
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