Andy Warhol Coca-Cola Bottles - Assignment Example

The Number 14 June Andy Warhol’s Coca Cola Bottles The print medium used in Coca-Cola Bottles by Andy Warhol is silkscreen print, a technique that was innovative for his time (beginning of 1960s). Specifically, the work entitled “Green Coca-Cola Bottles” dates back to 1962. It was created with the use of silkscreen ink put on synthetic polymer paint which was placed on canvas (size: 211×144.8 cm). Available at http://www.adbranch.com/andy-warhols-coca-cola-paintings/. 2. The artist, known as the King of Pop Art today, represented the movement of Pop Art which focused on covering the subjects of everyday popular American culture “ranging from movies stars to soup cans and Coca Cola bottles” (Malyon 38).

Pop Art, which came after the high aesthetic abstract expressionism movement, was about mass production of art. As for Warhol, he painted women’s shoes, everyday objects, newspaper clippings, food, money, etc. making the “iconography of everyday” in his works (Malyon 38). 3. The visual characteristics of the work are as follows. The image of bottles with Coke is repeated numerous times against the abstract surface. The effect of the bottle’s repretition creates a feeling of distance to the object, which may evoke the feelings of rejection and negation.

At the same time, the surface which is abstract represents the negation of the city with its vulgarity. Also, the bottles appear empty which creates certain visual rhythm, which can be subtly felt (Shanes 91). 4. The visual characteristics are reflective of the medium in the following way. Just as the canvas was silkscreen, Warhol prepared it in a peculiar and laborious way. First, the artist underpainted the work’s background and specific color areas, for example, the green of the Coca Cola bottles.

Only then he overpainted the silkscreened bottle’s image using sheets of acetate on which Coke images were printed. These acetate transparent sheets were placed on the work on every level of its creation so that to ensure alignment of the different levels of Warhol’s picture. Some areas were underpainted with green showing drink inside, others were left blank. This technique helped Warhol to achieve the impression of emptiness described above (Shanon 91). Works Cited Malyon, Craig. Excel Revise HSC Visual Arts in a Month.

Pascal Press, 2004. Print. Shanon, Eric. Pop Art. Parkstone International, 2009. Print.