The MoMa is quite an interesting place. Although many art museums focus upon the distant past, MoMA only focuses upon modern art, architecture and modernism. MoMa has many exhibits ranging from African American art to Eastern European architecture. As I walked through the exhibits, I found it difficult to choose an art piece to discuss about because all of them seemed interest and fascinate me. I was stuck with a dilemma on which art piece to choose. However, the dilemma was soon resolved when I noticed a peculiarly large painting on the third floor.
The painting “The Last Supper” by Andy Warhol may seem like a non-genuine version of Da Vinci’s painting of the same name but a not-so-closer look will prove the viewer wrong. It is watermarked with three huge Logos. Warhol’s “Last Supper” was created in 1986, one year before Warhol’s death. Warhol is famous for mass producing well known images or paintings with advertisements on them. Warhol was one of the pioneers of this genre of art known as “Pop Art”.
“The Last Supper” is no different from Warhol’s other paintings. He uses the same techniques and principles of Pop Art into this painting. The canvas is a traced image of the original Last Supper from Leonardo Da Vinci’s work. However, Warhol then added in the Logos of two major companies: Dove and General Electric. The third logo is the iconic price tag seen in many advertisements during that time. However, this is one of many variations of this painting that Warhol has created. However, this one was the only one put on display at MoMA
Although the painting may seem banal to some or even inappropriate towards religion, Warhol’s painting expresses a real and vital theme to the viewers. Warhol is famously known for making significant and original paintings, banal and shocking using advertisements or painting over them. However, all of this is just a product of Warhol’s modernist ideology. Warhol purposely adds these colorful logos into this black in white painting to convey a message of Capitalism watermarking itself into religion. This painting shows how our society has “evolved” to the point in which we seem to celebrate religious events and holidays through a capitalist point of view. Warhol’s utilization of logos and price tags within the painting displays our consumerist ideals to buy and stock up on gifts for the holidays. For example, Christmas in the United States has turned from a religious holiday of celebrating Christ’s birth to a commercially sponsored day of sales, gifts and product placements. Warhol carefully conducts a professional criticism of our current society using his ideas of modernism and Pop Art.
Warhol’s painting may seem peculiar at first but if closely analyzed, it has a clear and concise message of Capitalism’s prominence in every religion. However, the painting still rises many questions in my head. One of these questions is, why did Warhol make the Last Supper drawing black and white but the logos colorful? Was it an aesthetic design? Or was it more of budget/economic decision? It can also possibly be another comment on capitalism and religion.
-Sadat Tashin
Sadat,
Unfortunately, as wonderful and important as Warhol’s work is, it does not meet the requirements for this assignment. You will recall that both in class and in my written instructions I reminded you that for our purposes, Modernism began in the 1880s and continued until the beginning of WWII.
JS