The Art of Andy Warhol is a three-credit GPS course that provides
an overview of the ground-breaking and controversial art of Andy Warhol
(1928-1987). We look closely at Warhol’s life and work putting it in the context
of both the Pop Art movement and American history of the second half of the twentieth
century. Additionally, we assess the artist’s impact on more recent developments
in contemporary art. The facts of the artist's biography—growing up in a devout working-class
immigrant family in Pittsburgh—are essential to understanding his radical and ground-breaking
postmodern aesthetic. Students will make a day-long field trip to the city to visit
sites important to the artist's life and artistic development and spend time at the
Warhol Museum to meet with staff and conduct first-hand research. Guest lecturers
throughout the semester will offer insight to aspects of Warhol's life, extensive
body of work, and formal innovations using a variety of experimental media.
Offered during the fall semester, this lecture-format course will meet
normally in an on-campus classroom. There will be a one-day field trip (not
overnight). There is no additional cost beyond regular tuition and fees.