A collection of essays that I wrote
Andy Warhols ‘’Ladies and Gentlemen’’ concerning the Queer Community
Andy Warhols ‘’Ladies and Gentlemen’’ concerning the Queer Community
Introduction
The artists' responsibility. Does an artist have a responsibility towards society? A hot topic that has been questioned a long time without a definitive answer. During this exploratory essay, I will be looking at famous artist Andy Warhol’s series ‘’ladies and gentlemen’’ where he has depicted black transwomen and drag queens. Here I will question the artist's responsibility towards depicting his models. This will be done through the theories discussed in D’alleva’s work ‘Art's context' from Methods and Theories of Art History (2005) using the academic disciplines of Gender Studies and LGBTI Studies. I will refer to the models as women here since concerning the historical background this is what they would probably feel most at ease with.
During this essay, I start with giving my visual analysis of some of the works, I will continue with a dive into the art historical background of the works, then research the background and the process of the works, continue to write about the academic discourse, and conclude with my own opinion. Altogether I try to answer the following research question: Are in Andy Warhol’s collection ‘’ladies and gentlemen’’ transwomen and drag queens depicted with respect to the queer community?
‘’Ladies and Gentlemen’’ a Visual Analysis
I start by looking at 7 paintings (see appendix) from the collection without any background information. To have my own open and fresh interpretation of the pieces. The paintings are colourful, and it feels like the models are being celebrated in a way. Most women stare directly at me, which gives them a strong tone. One model is laughing, the other shies away from the camera. You feel like every woman shows their personality in every picture like they are being themselves. I see women that look strong. Strong and secure in their identity.
Visually, the works are quite flat. All the models are depicted in black paint and on top of that are layers of colour. The visibility of the models differs per painting, but they are all pretty recognizable. The women are depicted almost like official photographs you make for your ID. In the overlay, the colours that are used are bright but also earthy tones are seen often. The use of colours next to each other is unusual, not something you see often. The overlay is painted using geometric shapes or shapes that feel like loose brushstrokes. Often the paint feels like make-up on top of the painting. The colour that is painted above the eye or on the lips feels like it must represent eyeshadow and lipstick.
Art Historical Background
Warhol began this series in the summer of 1974 and made a total of 268 paintings, a portfolio of ten prints, and several drawings and collages (Flatley, 2017, p.220). According to Lenig (2021), he wanted to make the early avant-garde style relevant again through these works and maybe even spur a new avant-garde (p.191). Warhol drew inspiration from several avant-garde artists, mainly from the movements Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter. This is visible through his use of wild and bright colours that he cut into blocks and tones. He placed unmixed and unrealistic colours next to each other, let the models pose in bright and upbeat poses, and exaggerated their guises (p.191).
Critical theory
In D’alleva (2005) critical theories in art are being introduced. During this essay, the analysis will be done using Gender Studies and LGBTI studies. D’alleva describes Gender Studies as a scholarly arena that is concerned with the social construction of all gender identities and experiences (p.70), which is closely related to LGBTI studies that provide a forum to make the forgotten histories of people of this community visible again. She explains that this academic arena was sparked by the gay liberation movement. The gay liberation movement was in turn sparked by the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion. During this rebellion, a multicultural crowd of drag queens, transsexuals, gay men, and working-class lesbians fought back against a police raid on the gay bar Stonewall Inn (p.70). The collection ‘’ladies and gentlemen’’ depicts transwomen and drag queens. Both groups are not part of the binary gender identity and are a minority in the social construction of gender.
Background and Process
Warhol had a long-standing interest in drag, and he had used drag queens like Jackie Curtis and Holly Woodlawn in his films before he made this collection (Flatley, 2017, p.220-221). But he did not come up with the idea to do these works himself. It was an Italian art dealer named Luciano Anselmino that commissioned Warhol to create the series for around $900,000. He suggested a series of "funny-looking" transwomen and coining the title "Ladies and Gentlemen" (Morris, 2020, par. 8.). ‘They shouldn’t be beautiful transvestites who could pass for women, but funny-looking ones, with heavy beards, who were obviously men trying to pass as women.’ (Stochino, n.d., p.3), he said. Warhol first turned down the proposal but then decided to do it anyway because he was in the need of money. He chose not to paint the queens Jackie and Holly because he was afraid that they would ask for more money for every painting that he sold. He instead decided to do mostly black, and Puerto Rican drag queens from the so-called Gilded Grape bar. Warhol send recruiters to the bar with the order to ask the queens if they would pose for ‘a friend’ for $50. The next day these women appeared at the Factory, fourteen people were chosen and Warhol took polaroid pictures of them. When the recruiters came back to the bar the queens would tell them: ‘Tell your friend I do a lot more for fifty bucks.’ (Flatley, 2017, p.221-222). Warhol took 500 polaroids in total to create prints and paintings using a technique where silk-screen transferred the Polaroids on canvas (Stochine, n.d., p.3). Warhol finalized his pieces, and the commissioned exhibition ran between October and December 1976 (p.5). Warhol deliberately chose not to name the models. Warhol decided that the models should remain “impersonal” and “anonymous” (p.3). Researchers did not discover the names and identities of all the models until 2014. (Tate, n.d., para. 2). One of the models in Warhol’s work is a name that is worth mentioning. The famous activist Marsha P. Johnson (appendix C), who is seen as the key participant in the 1969 Stonewall riots, mentioned earlier (Flatley, 2017, p.224).
Academic Discourse
The academic discourse on this collection is not one-sided. Flatley (2017) argues that the work addresses the relation between racial and sexual visibility and self-presentation (p.181). He argues that through the transformation from polaroid to a new medium, the visibility of the drag queen's self-presentation is amplified by diminishing male signs and other unattractive details (p.226). Here he refers to one of the models Iris, who had a missing tooth. Warhol painted that back for her (Armitstead, 2020, para. 5). Flatley continues to argue that Warhol's works provide us to perceive these drag queens as participating in an activity that powers the performances of femininity (p. 239-242).
Latimer (2015) argues that in Warhol’s work the drag exposure was not essentially about exposing gender identity since it does not convey the codes we ascribe to femininity. No one would mistake the models for ‘’bona ide women’’. This is because of the depiction of their adam’s apples, strong facial bone structure, big hands, not well-fitting wigs, and their over-the-top poses that make clear that they are performing. He continues to argue that for Warhol this was never about capturing the essence of the portrait sitter, Warhol did not believe in core identities, only in surfaces. Warhol himself said in 1968 ‘If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my painting, and films and me, and there I am. There’s nothing behind it.’. Latimer argues that he wanted to present a persona, not a person (p. 36-37).
Stochino (n.d.) agrees with Latimer and argues that for Warhol the theme of the exhibition had no political connotation. He mentions that Warhol said in an interview when asked why he chose his models Warhol stated: ‘Because I believe in comedy and I wanted to do something funny’ Stochino argues that this collection was for Warhol simply an amusing way of creating art and making money (p.6).
Conclusion
Did Warhol respectfully depict his models? I would say no. Let's first look at it from the realm of LGBTI studies. As stated previously, LGBTI studies provide a forum to make the forgotten histories of people of this community visible again. Andy Warhol deliberately chose not to name his subject. This, even though one of these sitters was the famous Marsha P. Johnson. An activist that sparked the Stonewall Riots, historically seen as a big day for gay liberation. Warhol could honour this but decided to depict her as a nameless figure. Instead of celebrating the history, it almost feels like he is trying to erase it. Which seems ambiguous, him being a gay man himself.
Now let’s look at it from another academic realm. Gender Studies. Gender Studies is concerned with the social construction of all gender identities and experiences. These drag queens and trans-women are people that fall out of the binary gender identities. They are a minority in society. I would argue that Warhol used the fragile position that they had in the world for his gain. He deliberately chose women that he had not worked with before because he was afraid that the old ones would ask for too much money. Warhol also deliberately kept his identity as hidden as possible so they would not know his worth. He instead only paid the models $50. Yes, for these women this was a lot of money, they were used to doing a lot harder things than just posing for that amount of cash. Still, this was just a singular $50 payment, even though Warhol was commissioned to do this collection for $900,000. He could pay his models a bit more fairly, I would argue. Marsha P. Johnson was interviewed in 1979 and spoke about the absurdity of walking past a gallery and seeing her photograph for thousands of dollars on display but herself having no place to live (Tate, n.d., para. 6)
Warhol also did not come up with this idea himself but was commissioned to do work of ‘’funny-looking" transwomen by Luciano Anselmino. This to me explains that the women are not represented to celebrate their gender identity, but almost to make fun of. Here I agree with Stochino arguing that Warhol only made this collection for his enjoyment and mainly to make money. Especially knowing that he first refused the offer but later decided to agree to it because of the financial gain. He did indeed depict the women in a more feminine way by adding the make-up with paint like Flatley pointed out, but I agree here with Latimer that the gender identity was not essential in the work. Warhol believed in surfaces, that was where the identity was, not behind it. He himself said that he wanted to make the work ‘’to do something funny.’’ I would argue that choosing a group that is such a minority in society and then deciding to make a funny piece of them is a very disrespectful. Especially if you’re not just making a funny piece, but you are making fun of them. Just looking at the title "Ladies and Gentlemen" already proves the point. These are women that go against the normal gender construction and with this name you mock everything they stand for. So, to answer the research question, no Andy Warhol’s collection ‘’ladies and gentlemen’’ did not depict transwomen and drag queens with respect to the queer community. Instead, he ignored a historical hero, depicted his models comedically, and that all for his own financial gain. And as icing on the cake, dared to name it ‘’ladies and gentlemen’’.
References
Armitstead, C. (2020, July 10). “Andy allowed everyone to be beautiful”: Warhol’s unseen drag queens. The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/mar/08/andy-warhol-retrospective-tate-modern-then-he-was-a-she
D’Alleva, A. (2005). Methods And Theories Of Art History (New title ed.). Adfo Books.
Flatley, J. (2017). Like Andy Warhol (1st ed.). University of Chicago Press.
Latimer T. (2015) WARHOL'S SURFACES, MAPPLETHORPE'S DEPTHS, Wadsworth Atheneum's exhibition catalogue, Warhol & Mapplethorpe: Guise and Dolls.
Lenig, S. (2021). The Many Lives of Andy Warhol. Warhol: the artist of the postmodern Macmillan Publishers.
Morris, A. (2020). Pissed On or Pissed Off: Andy Warhol's Oxidized Portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Art Inquiries (Vol. 18, Issue 1) Southeastern College Art Conference Review
Stochino, E. (n.d.) 9.4 The Meeting between Warhol and Pasolini at the 1975 “Ladies and Gentlemen” Exhibition.Tate. (n.d.). Ladies and Gentlemen. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
Appendix
A.
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
B.
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
C.
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
D.
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
E.
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
F.
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen
G.
Warhol, A. (1975). [Ladies and Gentlemen]. Retrieved https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121/ladies-and-gentlemen