Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Artwork has been in existence for a very long time and that is the reason why many artists have been able to make an impact on the vast fields of art. Arts is not limited to paintings or drawings like many people believe; rather, art entails other activities such as making of sculptures. Among the artists who have made an impact in the world of art is Andy Warhol.

Early Life

Andy Warhol was born on the 6^th of August 1928, in the city of Pittsburg Pennsylvania. His father who was known as Ondrej Warhola worked as a construction worker, while his mother by the name of Julia Warhola worked as an e[1]mbroider. The Warhol’s were Slovakian immigrants. The family was devoted Byzantine Catholics who attended mass frequently and upheld their culture and heritage (The mail on Sunday, April 4^th 2010).

Warhol’s first lesson in drawing came by chance, at about 8 years of age he was diagnosed with a disease known as Chorea. The disease also called (St. Vitus’s dance) is a rare but fatal disease of the nervous system. The disease rendered Warhol bedridden for some month. It was at this time that his mother who was also skilled in drawing decided to give him his first drawing lesson in order to keep him busy. After he was finally able to get out of the bed, Warhol continued drawing during his spare time. At the age of nine, his mother bought Warhol a camera and soon he became interested in photography as well. Warhol even made a make shift dark room in their basement (The mail on Sunday, April 4^th 2010).

Warhol was enrolled at the Holmes Elementary school. He was also able to attend free art lessons at the Carnegie Institute which is currently known as the Carnegie Museum of Art. Tragedy was to befall Warhol at the age of 14, in the year 1942 when his father died from a disease known as jaundiced liver. Warhol endured this traumatizing experience to the extent that he was not able to attend neither his father’s wake nor his funeral. Having recognized his son’s talent, Warhol’s father he dedicated his entire savings to the college education of his son before the sudden demise. The same year, Warhol joined Schenley High school and he was able to graduate in the year 1945. After graduation, he joined Carnegie Institute of Technology which is currently known as the Carnegie Mellon University where he studied pictorial design (The mail on Sunday, April 4^th 2010).

Artistic Career

After graduating with a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1949, he moved to New York where he began his career as a viable artist. It was at around this time that Warhola changed his name to the now known Warhol after dropping the “a” at the end of his name. In September of the same year, he secured a job with Glamour Magazine. He eventually went on to win various awards for his work as a commercial artist (The mail on Sunday, April 4^th 2010)