Even though both artists have different themes and styles of art they both draw inspiration from their childhood. Ana Mendieta was born in Cuba and at the age of 12 moved to the United States with her sister due to the political turmoil in Cuba (Guggenheim 1). Her experience of being ripped away from her motherland influences the themes she focuses on such as nature and home. In her Silueta series, Mendieta uses her body to create outlines that were “...impressed into various sites outdoors and the impression documented through photography or film” (Guggenheim 1). This series suggests a sense of how Mendieta wants to reunite with nature and the Earth just like how she wants to reunite with her home that she was forced to leave behind. Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburg into a Slovenian immigrant family (Biography 4). When Warhol was eight years old he got terribly sick where he had to be bedridden. During this time his mother taught him to draw and pushed him to hone in on his artistic talent. Warhol’s parents were a big influence on his pursuit of art, his mom encouraged him to create and his father used his life savings for Warhol’s college education (Biography 4). In the documentary, we watched in class they discussed how his family was very religious which meant Warhol went to church a lot. The religious iconography and artwork that he saw for hours in his childhood show up in his artwork. Such as in Gold Marilyn Monroe because of the gold that was common in religious artwork to make something appear holy or represent the light of God. Although both artists are very different they both pulled memories and experiences from their childhood to pour into their work.
Ana Mendieta's life experience and self-identity as a woman influenced her subjects in their work. She was someone who was an activist for women’s rights and wanted to speak up about the violence that many women go through. She uses her voice to bring awareness to issues such as sexual violence in her artwork called “...Untitled (Rape Scene) in her apartment in response to the rape and murder of a local student” (Guggenheim 1). In this artwork Mendieta records herself running bloody hands down a white wall. Andy Warhol, on the other hand, his experience of working magazines and advertisements influenced his subjects. An example could be in his work called Cambell’s Soup Cans because of how it looks it could be massively produced like an advertisement due to the repetition on the cans. Fame played an important role in both artist’s work and lives. For Ana Mendieta fame allowed her to bring awareness around women’s issues. She used her fame to expose the abuse and violence that women experience. Whereas for Andy Warhol his work was about glamorizing fame and massively producing it. A good statement I found that sums up the influence of fame in Warhol’s work is “On the other hand, Warhol's focus on consumer goods and pop-culture icons, as well as his own taste for money and fame, suggest a life in celebration of the very aspects of American culture that his work criticized” (Biography 4).
Ana Mendieta used organic materials such as “...blood, fire, feathers, and wood” to depict themes of nature and women’s issues (Guggenheim 1). Using these organic materials is important to Mendieta’s subjects that she depicted because it leaves a more powerful and immediate impact whereas if she used synthetic material. Andy Warhol used materials that included paint, and silkscreen ink. He also used video and photography in many of his works just like Ana Mendieta. He used silkscreening to depict the materialistic and glamorized subjects such as his famous Shot Marilyns. The materials he chose were important because it allowed him to create repetition and create an idealized Hollywood that can either be seen as a critique of our materialistic society. The materials that both Ana Mendieta and Andy Warhol used contributed to the success of the artwork as well as effectively portraying their themes that surround their work.
Ana Mendieta and Andy Warhol experimented with materials and subjects that helped push boundaries in art. They both used their experiences from their early life as inspiration for their work as well as had fame affect their work and lives. These two artists’ lives contributed so much to art and the meaning of art of what it is and what it could be.
Work cited
“Ana Mendieta.” Guggenheim, www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/ana-mendieta.
“Andy Warhol.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 12 Aug. 2019,
www.biography.com/artist/andy-warhol.
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