Summary

I chose two of my favorite pieces of art from the museum. The two pieces were “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh and “Campbell’s Soup Cans” by Andy Warhol. The moment I saw these two pieces of artwork they stood out to me more than the name. When I saw each of the art pieces they were able to unlock old memories and being able to have a better comprehension of each of the pieces now.
Vincent Van Gogh was a very popular artist during the 1800’s. He is the artist best known for cutting off his ear. He created “The Starry Night” in 1889 in France after he had gone through a mental breakdown. His portrait was influenced due to him trying to capture his view from his window. Andy Warhol was more of a recent artist, during the mid to end of the 1900s. The Campbell soup was created in 1963 and was a representation of his lifestyle and himself. That was his lunch for 20 years and he greatly enjoyed it. Andy asked his mother to buy all of the 32 flavors which is my understanding of what inspired his portrait. Many of these artist became famous after their time. While they were making their art pieces their ethos didn’t matter much. When they died, their name and work had value.
Van Gogh didn't have any text in his art. His portrait was oil-based and has 11 stars and the natural night in France. This specific piece is so popular and impactful because, during the time of creation, it displayed expressionism. In “Campbell’s Soup Can” words are displayed in the painting. During this time Pop Art was emerging. Andy was simply sharing and recreating a big part of his life. Red is a bold color and makes a statement in this portrait. Andy also used the same style, colors, and organization within each of the paintings of the soup. The only difference between each of the cans of soup is the flavors. The writing was the only way we would be able to differentiate each of the cans from one another.
Everything that makes up each of these portraits is very impactful. The colors, the strokes, the backgrounds, and even the size. In Van Gogh’s he mainly used just 3 colors. Black, Blue, and yellow with bits of green for the trees. The yellows stick out from the blue and the blue stands out from the black. The different vast of colors, make his piece very eye catching. As I stated before, Andy Warhol had a pop of color with the simplicity of his work. The plain white background makes the red standout. The colors and the background can give the audience a sense of emotion that the artist may have intended. In each portrait, there is an expression of emotion.
Every single art piece tells a story. Background information typically is provided to understand the story that each artist is trying to convey. Knowing Van Gogh's life and knowing his mental issues and his outburst of cutting off his own ear made his portrait more sad. The blue and the black gave a dark and dreary feel. Andy Warhol’s piece was more straightforward with different interpretations. I have seen and analyzed his portrait before. The difference between then and now is that I am seeing his portrait in person. At first, I thought he ate Campbell’s soup every day because his mom wasn’t able to afford different meals, but when I visited the Moma I learned that he favored the soup and chose to eat it every day for 20 years. When I understood the real reason why the portrait was painted the portrait suddenly became more happy and delightful not so sad.
The overall message of each of these pieces is to tell a story. It’s a way that the artist is able to express their feelings in their natural form. Neither portraits target an intended audience, just whoever comes across their work and can dissect their meaning. All portraits, sculptures, and art pieces inside a museum attract people who are interested in art and want to see the work of all these artists. A majority of the people that go to the museum are the intended audience, who want to see these pieces. The human eye and mind can understand and dissect things very differently from a photograph and in person. When visiting the museum I saw the different textures of the portraits, the size, and the raw colors and had more of an understanding than a virtual experience.