Ana vs. Andy

Jasmin Erichsen

Professor Doris Cacoilo

Art of Self Invention

7 October, 2019

Ana vs. Andy

Both Ana Mendieta and Andy Warhol were and continue to be very influential artists. Mendieta focused more on the oppression of women in her art, using blood from animals, she was a force to be reckoned with. People described her art as universal, something that could touch anyone. Warhol “unveiled the concept of Pop Art” (Emily Brown). Both of these artists are prolific and impacted the art world tremendously in different ways. Warhol was a graphic designer trying to find new ways to express himself whereas Mendieta was a Cuban refugee who was victim to nonstop oppression.

It is obvious that Mendieta’s work and Warhol’s work have different subject matters. Mendieta was a Cuban American who was exiled when she was just twelve years old. Mendieta and her sister were refugees and were always moving between foster homes. Ana struggled to find somewhere she belonged. As a young girl Mendieta was alienated and tormented. This oppression is shown through Mendieta’s art. She focuses more on violence against women in her art aswell as “themes that pushed ethnic, sexual, moral, religious and political boundaries” (Monica Castillo). Mendieta was “torn” from her homeland. She lived her whole life as a victim of oppression. She was known for using fear well in her work. 

One of Mendieta’s more controversial works was about a rape scene that had happened on the campus she was studying at. “For the piece, Mendieta upended her apartment, covered herself with blood and tied herself to a table to recreate the aftermath of brutal sexual assault” (Monica Castillo). It was common for Mendieta to use natural materials like feathers or blood from animals. Some say it was because she wanted to be closer to the Earth that surrounds her.  “Mainstream cinema rienforces the view that psychology and appearence are intertwined” (Joanne Finkelstein). Mendieta pushes the bounderies on how gory something could and should be. Catherine Morris says, “It’s about kind of capturing moments through various forms of documentation. And she takes all of these things to the world at large that might not be considered fine arts. She turns them into something intelligent, harrowing and emotional”. 

Mendieta shows her aggression towards violence against women in her art. It is kind of ironic that she dies by getting thrown out of a window by her husband. Her husband was never charged with anything even though a passerby heard a struggle and cries for help due to lack of evidence.

Andy Warhol was a loner as a child. His family was not very wealthy and he was diagnosed with multiple health disorders as a child. Warhol had to drop out of school due to his health disorders. He was also made fun of as a kid. Both Mendieta and Warhol were alienated at a young age. Warhol lived in a European ghetto. He could be described as quirky. Warhol “transubstantiated” garbage into something that was valuable. An example of him making something invaluable to something that had value was his work Cambell’s Soup Cans. He used “commercial techniques such as stenciling”. Warhol uses unimportant things and mass produces them in different colors to make them “pop”. “His sense of color is just unbelievable”. He makes a name for himself through advertisement. “The most American of artists”. People had a hard time accepting his art because it was so simplistic. As a child Warhol had an eye for art. Warhol eventually went to New York after finishing college when he was twenty years old. Although being told not to go by his mother (who was very important to Warhol) he still went. He wanted to be famous and was very driven to do so. Warhol makes a name for himself in illustration. “Though successful as an illustrator and graphic designer, in the early 1960s Warhol began creating his own paintings based on advertisement imagery. Shocking in its time for its embrace of "low art" and detachment from emotion, his early work quickly brought him fame”.

Works Cited

• Castillo, Monica. “Overlooked No More: Ana Mendieta, a Cuban Artist Who Pushed Boundaries.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Sept. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/obituaries/ana-mendieta-overlooked.html.
• Brown, Emily. “Andy Warhol And His Artistic Influence.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 6 Sept. 2016, theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/andy-warhol-and-his-artistic-influence/.
• “Ana Mendieta.” Artnet, www.artnet.com/artists/ana-mendieta/.
• “Andy Warhol.” Artnet, www.artnet.com/artists/andy-warhol/.
• “Who Was Andy Warhol? Everything You Need to Know.” Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline, www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/andrew-warhola-713.php.
• Finkelstein, Joanne. The Art of Self Invention: Image and Identity in Popular Visual Culture. I.B Tauris, 2007.
• Channel, The Art. “Andy Warhol Documentary Film Part 1 of 2.” YouTube, The Art Channel, 9 Nov. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQXpqQO4vaE.