Critic Christopher Knight, Warhol’s Wig: Cracking the Pop Art Code (Forquer, Blogpost 1)

In his lecture for the Smithsonian's "Clarice Smith Distinguished Lecture" series, art critic Christopher Knight explores why Andy Warhol chose the subject matter of many of his paintings. Warhol’s pop art paintings are typically considered commentary on American commercialism, mass production, and celebrity and commodity culture. However, Knight sees Warhol’s art differently– he proposes, “There is an iconography to Warhol’s art [...] The subject of Warhol’s classic pop art paintings is not popular culture, as it is usually made out to be; neither is the subject commodity culture nor celebrity culture. Instead, the subject of Warhol’s paintings is art culture; the myths, values, stories, and artists that populate the history of Western art– and especially the post-war American art of the New York school.” (1)

Knight provides several specific examples, including Warhol’s famous Campbell soup cans paintings.

Fig. 1 Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962, acrylic and enamel paint on canvas, 97 x 163 in. Museum of Modern Art. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79809.

The most common reason Warhol painted Campbell’s soup cans is that he provided artful commentary on consumerist culture. But Knight asks, why Campbell’s soup rather than canned beans, dog food, or other canned products that could also represent consumerist culture? Knight claims that “soup” was studio slang in the 60s for a successful abstract expressionist painting. Willem De Kooning, the most important painter in the New York School at the time, was quoted as saying, “Everything is already in art. Like a big bowl of soup. Everything is in there already, and you stick your hand in, and you find something for you.” Warhol’s paintings of Campbell’s soup cans are a visual interpretation of de Kooning’s quote and a play for recognition in the art world.

Fig. 2 Andy Warhol, Cow, 1966, Screenprint, 45 15/16 x 29 5/16 in., Museum of Modern Art. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/71923.

Fig. 3 Stuart Peabody and Walter Early, Elsie the Cow, 1936-present. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://americacomesalive.com/elsie-the-cow-borden-marketing-mascot/ 

Another example Knight gives is Warhol’s “Cow.” The common understanding is that Warhol, an advertiser, painted this after being inspired by the Borden Dairy Company mascot, Elsie the Cow. Knight denies this completely and posits that Warhol’s “Cow” is a retort to Pablo Picasso’s alter ego within his own art, the macho “Bull.” Picasso was one of the most famous and renowned artists of the 20th century and is known for being a macho, misogynistic “bull.” Knight claims, “So Warhol, who was gay and effeminate, cast himself as the feminine, pink cow.” (1)

Fig. 3 Pablo Picasso, Bull's Head, 1942, bicycle seat and handlebars, 33.5 x 43.5 x 19 cm. Picasso Museum. Accessed September 12, 2023. https://www.wikiart.org/en/pablo-picasso/bulls-head-1942.

In a final example, Knight explains Warhol's possible motivation behind donning his signature silver-blonde wig. When Warhol began to go bald in the early 50s, he first began wearing a light brown toupee that matched his natural hair color, which he then continued to wear for another ten years. However, when Warhol's career began to take off in 1963, he traded in his natural color toupee for a silver wig. Knight explains his theory, "Warhol was declaring himself to be the next Willem de Kooning in American art. De Kooning was famously dashing, his handsome face crowned by a shock of silver hair. Warhol, by donning a silver wig, snatched de Kooning's victorious laurel wreath and placed it atop his own head." (1)

 

Fig. 4 Willem de Kooning in 1950; photograph by Rudy Burckhardt. 

Fig. 5 Andy Warhol, Self-portrait in a photo booth., 1963, silver print, 1 7/8 x 1 in.

As someone who has never been a fan of pop art, this lecture was fascinating to me! Before listening to Knight, I had never heard anyone connect Warhol's art to art culture or art history- I had only ever heard it explained as a commentary on commercialism, consumerism, mass production, and other related topics. I do wonder how realistic some of Knight's theories are, given that Warhol himself never explained his own works in the way Knight ventures to in this lecture. Then again, the more I have studied art history, the less I tend to trust an artist's explanation of their work- it seems many artists partially or entirely hide the intended meaning of their works for one reason or another. Either way, this lecture made me reconsider the meaning behind Warhol's art and made me wonder what the motivation was behind choosing celebrity subjects such as Marilyn Monroe and Prince.

Works Cited

1. "Clarice Smith Distinguished Lecture: Critic Christopher Knight, Warhol's Wig: Cracking the Pop Art Code" https://americanart.si.edu/videos/clarice-smith-distinguished-lecture-critic-christopher-knight-153925