Author: Damian Mendieta
The Polaroid pictures on display at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex very well could be a collection of police mug shots, a display for the local Sears Portrait Studio or a compilation of candid family pictures. They are none of the above. These images are the unique works of Andy Warhol as he captures people, objects and obscure commonalities using the uniquely vivid limelight of a Polaroid camera in the appropriately titled exhibition, “Faces and Names.”
A long line of upper-body Polaroid shots takes over the main wall of the exhibit. Squashed together to create intimacy, these images beckon further analysis of what seems at first glance to be run-of-the-mill pictures. Throughout the exhibit, there are multiple shots of individuals, such as those of world-renowned photograph collector Sondra Gilman (1976).
Gilman dons a chic blue dress complete with a pearl necklace and conservative hairstyle while her sharp eyes appear to gaze through the picture and at the viewer. With a pause and closer look, Warhol’s portraits of Gilman contain an irresistible grandeur, one that seems to exist beyond the limitations of a simple Polaroid camera.
Moving past the diva art tycoon, a rugged cigarette-wielding man demands attention amidst the surrounding pictures. In his sharp silk suit, he could be confused for a member of the mafia; in reality, he is the African art enthusiast Carlo Monzino (1974). His solemn facial expressions do not diminish his regal nature. On a closer look, his eyes reflect a passive reverence of his surroundings, and his rigid pose does not seem daunting but rather glorious.
Besides the showpiece Polaroid shots, an array of black and white prints as well as video archives from Warhol’s film collection are also on display at the Luckman. One such large print depicts a child’s birthday party scene, complete with rowdy kids and giddiness galore. The photo captures one particular party-goer with a blank expression, another halfway through a laugh and one eyeing the birthday cake. It may be the inconspicuous setting, or the fact that the picture was taken at an interesting angle, but the image appears worthy of a hefty price at the next high-end Christie’s art auction.
The final leg of the exhibit is a video compilation of Warhol’s celebrity films and an original Luckman exposé of archival footage. No plot is needed to make everyday human actions such as breathing, blinking and biting receive an artistic boost from Warhol’s panoramic vision. These ordinary movements take the feature role of the film as faces and names slowly become irrelevant throughout this short ten minute film. What matters in the motion picture is that the audience understands how remarkable daily dull doings are.
While most associate Warhol’s work with silk-screened images of Marilyn Monroe and soup cans, his later photographic endeavors foray into a different type of popular art. Celebrities, drag queens and the common businessman are claustrophobically pinned up against the gallery’s walls to create a unifying aura despite the clear differences between the subjects. As these otherwise boring images transform into extraordinary moments of human life, Warhol successfully sells his factory product.
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