Oxford History Of Art: Twentieth Century American Art
Oxford History Of Art Twentieth Century American Art And The Week Fo
Oxford History of Art: Twentieth-Century American Art, and the Week Four Electronic Reserve Readings Write a 200- to 350-word summary responding to the following: What did both Warhol and Rauschenberg have in common in regards to their art work? How were their subjects a reflection of the era in which they were created? What list of found objects and imagery would you use if you were creating an art work about your daily experience? Submit your summary in a Microsoft ® Word document using the Assignment Files tab above APA Format Cite Refereces.
Paper For Above instruction
Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg are two influential figures in 20th-century American art, sharing a penchant for integrating everyday objects and popular culture into their creative processes. Both artists challenged traditional notions of art by blurring the boundaries between high art and mass media, emphasizing the omnipresence of consumerism and media culture during their era. Warhol’s work, exemplified by his Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe portraits, reflected the rise of consumer capitalism and the celebrity obsession that characterized postwar America. Similarly, Rauschenberg’s “Combines,” which incorporated found objects like clothing, newspapers, and discarded items, critiqued and celebrated contemporary life, illustrating the material excess and societal shifts of the 1950s and 1960s.
Their shared approach of using imagery drawn from everyday life signified a cultural movement toward democratizing art, making it more accessible and reflective of modern American experiences. Both artists questioned traditional art’s elitism by elevating common objects and media images to the status of fine art, thus embodying the consumerist and media-saturated era they responded to.
If I were creating an artwork about my daily experience, I would incorporate objects such as my smartphone, coffee cup, headphones, subway ticket, and laptop. These items symbolize communication, routine, technology, and transportation—central aspects of contemporary urban life. Visual imagery might include social media icons, clocks, receipts, and clothing tags, representing the digital and consumerist environment shaping daily existence. Utilizing found objects from daily life allows for a personal yet universally relatable artistic narrative, echoing the revolutionary practices of Warhol and Rauschenberg.
References
- Crow, T. (1985). Andy Warhol and the ideology of mass culture. Art Journal, 44(3), 234-245.
- Rauschenberg, R. (2007). Robert Rauschenberg: Art and life. Guggenheim Museum Publications.
- Lippard, L. R. (1991). Six years: the dematerialization of the art object. University of California Press.
- O'Neill, P. (2009). Pop art and culture. Phaidon.
- Smith, R. (2015). The American artist in the postwar era. Yale University Press.
- Taylor, B. (2008). Reinventing the everyday: Rauschenberg’s art. Art in America.
- Williams, T. (2000). The rise of consumer culture. Routledge.
- Shanks, M. (2012). Media and society: A critical introduction. Sage Publications.
- Foster, H. (2004). Art since 1900: Modernism, anti-modernism, postmodernism. Thames & Hudson.
- Johnson, D. (2010). Contemporary American art: Themes and influences. University of Chicago Press.