The Andy Warhol situation in Mumbai

Ever wondered why the world went gaga over the Marilyn Monroe painting with yellow hair? Here's a chance to get all your questions about Andy Warhol and his works answered

The Andy Warhol situation in Mumbai

Ever wondered why the world went gaga over the Marilyn Monroe painting with yellow hair? Here's a chance to get all your questions about Andy Warhol and his works answered

There are very few fields in the world of art that Andy Warhol hasn't dabbled in, and usually with success. Warhol, best known for his paintings, belongs to that extremely elite group of artists whose paintings have fetched more than $100 million. Now a city-based artist, Himanshu S, is attempting to re-introduce Warhol to Mumbai. In a four-session workshop called The Warhol Situation, Himanshu hopes participants will understand Warhol's thoughts and creativity by focusing on a few of his artworks. "Well the intention is to introduce one artist at a time, every month. And I wanted to begin with Warhol," he says.

Himanshu S will conduct a month-long workshop on Warhol. Pic/Suresh KK

Session one will be about Warhol's commercial phase, his earlier paintings with reference to newspaper ads, headlines, comic book imagery, etc. Session two will be about his use of unnatural colours and repetition. It will be about his popular works like in the accident series, 13 Most Wanted Men and Marilyn Monroe.

Session three will be about his photography, the celebrity status and his video documentations and session four will be about time capsules -- Warhol documenting everything from the most interesting to the most mundane.
"Every session will have a practical session, sometimes in groups," says Himanshu. The 2.5 hour-long sessions will take place every Sunday, starting August 21 and will be open to anyone above 14 years.

Through the workshop, Himanshu wants art lovers to understand an important phase in the history of art making. The phase in which Andrew Warhola Jr became Andy Warhol, bought a hairpiece, got a nose job and went from poverty in Pittsburg to success in NYC. There, of course, also lies the possibility to share ideas and meet like-minded people.

"The workshop will be a mix of understanding why the artist (Warhol) made something, looking at similar situations around us, understanding his techniques and then processing them. The end product, however, may or may not be similar to Warhol's," says Himanshu. "This is a good time to look at Warhol. An easy parallel can be drawn between Warhol's time (in America) and India now." A graduate of the JJ School of Arts, 30-year-old Himanshu, currently a lecturer at the Rachna Sansad Academy of Fine Arts & Craft, is also behind the creation of Bombay Underground, an interactive art library and book shop in Bandra.
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At:u00a0 5 to 7.30 pm, The Art Loft, 1st Floor above Patel Store, Valentino Building, Bandra (W)
Call: 9930483966