Campbell’s Soup Can by Andy Warhol

I recently visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and saw Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Can, which displays a single red Campbell’s tomato soup can outlined in black and centered on a white canvas, painted in 1964. The soup can takes up almost the entire canvas and is easily recognizable to the viewer. Because Warhol became interested in the rise of consumerism and mass production, he painted objects that people used frequently, making the subjects of his paintings identifiable. Warhol explained that he picked the Campbell soup can as a subject “Because I used to drink it. I used to have the same lunch every day, for twenty years, I guess, the same thing over and over again. Someone said my life has dominated me; I liked that idea.” The rise of consumerism dominated all aspects of life for both Warhol and the nation, so he capitalized on the vast appeal for a Campbell’s tomato soup can and reproduced objects in his art. Warhol’s painting of a Campbell’s Soup Can is only one example of Warhol’s depiction of consumerism; for example, his work at the MoMA, Campbell’s Soup Cans depicts 32 soup cans stacked on top of each other, emphasizing the mass production of one society’s basic necessities – food. If you are interested in Pop Art and Andy Warhol’s art, make sure to visit the MoMA and the Andy Warhol Museum.

Source: http://collections.lacma.org/node/207423