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Andy Warhol

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Andy Warhol was one of the most imaginative, thought-provoking, and influential artists of the twentieth century. He was a key figure in the development of Pop Art, an artistic movement originating in the 1960s. Pop Art was an alternative to the art style Abstract Expressionism. Abstract Expressionism was serious, philosophical, and most people found it hard to understand. Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko where stars of this style. In Pop Art, common objects are the subject of the artwork. Artists like Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein took inspiration from comic strips, commercial goods, and advertising. Warhol's art was a commentary on our consumerist society and would inspire both outrage and delight alike. He was also fascinated by fame and the famous, creating silk-screen images of celebrities. Warhol challenged accepted ideas of what art should be and was responsible for breaking down the barrier between art and commercial design. When Andy Warhol was alive he was very mysterious about his origins. He would often make up a different story every time he was asked. After his death the truth's about where he came from was released. Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Slovakian immigrants Ondrej and Julia Warhola. He had two older brothers John and Paul. In 1929 Andy's father had his gallbladder removed. The surgery didn't immediately kill him but it did lead to his death years later. It was an ironic sense of foreshadowing because a gallbladder surgery would ultimately also kill Andy. After the surgery his father never fully regained his strength and his ability to fight off disease was greatly hindered. In 1942 while working a construction job in West Virginia, Andy's father Ondrej drank tainted water and contracted jaundice. The other workers also contracted it but they got better. Unfortunately

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