Andy Warhol's Legendary Illustration of Marilyn Monroe in 'marilyn Diptych'

"My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person."

-Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol's legendary illustration of Marilyn Monroe in 'Marilyn Diptych' was composed after her tragic suicide on August 5, 1962. As an artist, Warhol was mesmerized by the status of certain celebrities and their effect on various media outlets throughout the United States. Hence the frequent manifestations of Hollywood icons included within his compositions.

Furthermore, Warhol's inspiration stemmed from his obsession over Marilyn Monroe's grim demise and how her prominent presence had a phenomenal impact on society. Therefore he began the pursuit for a noteworthy publicity shot which would reinforce the message he wished to convey. Specifically, Warhol integrated the 1953 photograph from the film Niagara into a complex silkscreen painting process that ultimately resulted in fifty images of the actress.

Surprisingly, the origin of screen-printing's first appearance can be traced all the way back to the Song Dynasty in China. Conclusively, Warhol is credited for reviving serigraphy and popularizing the method with his pop art elements. In fact, the artist went even further by forming each individual portrait with his own signature of uniqueness. For example, Warhol's transformations of each portrait varied with techniques that resulted in images being slightly more faded or inkier than others on each side of the diptych.

A diptych is a sample of a figure, graphic image, or idol through which two panels are fused together. In addition, this fusion can include Warhol's consistent themes of mortality and society's idolization of iconic figures in media. Importantly, the repeated image depicts her continual presence in the media--even in death. If the image was simply repeated and unchanged, then Warhol's significant theme would be lost in the boredom of the unaltered image.

Perhaps in this generation Andy Warhol's inspiration may concentrate politically on such events like 9/11 and the Iraqi war. However, the two people I suspect being featured would be the distinguished Barack Obama and the quirky Lady Gaga. The Barack Obama "Hope" icon poster by artist Shepard Fairey, was a design that set off a widespread trend in our media and 2008 campaign. It's a reminder of how certain images are able to instigate a mass following such as Warhol's.

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