Page 17 - BUZZ Magazine - Issue No. 1 Spring 2021 | University of Rochester

Silver Clouds
Warhol first exhibited these
helium- and air-filled, pillow-shaped
balloons at the Leo Castelli Gallery,
New York City, in 1966. He had
recently announced his retirement
from painting in order to focus on
filmmaking—although he never
did stop painting. Warhol is often
quoted as saying, “I thought that
the way to finish off painting for me
would be to have a painting that
floats, so I invented the floating
silver rectangles that you fill up with
helium and let out of your windows.”

MAG director Jonathan Binstock | Photo by Jamie Dinolfo

Cow Wallpaper
Warhol was a pioneer of installation
art. The same year that he created
Silver Clouds, he produced Cow
Wallpaper, which has since covered
the walls of Warhol exhibitions
across the world. Arrayed in vertical
strands, Warhol’s pink cows recall
strips of contemporary photo
booth portraits, which typically
came stacked in groups of four.
The reference, now historical, also
relates to motion-picture film and
the filmstrip format. Photography
underpins all of Warhol’s art.

Photo by Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images

in his pocket, and his outrageous productivity— Warhol admired celebrity, professed
Warhol achieved an evergreen relevance.” cynicism, and imagined a world where
people who were reported on in the news
Binstock continues, “Here we are in the era owned the news because it was their
of Instagram, TikTok, and ‘fake news,’ and I news. Season of Warhol is Rochester’s
cannot think of anyone who would have felt best opportunity to consider the breadth
more comfortable with these circumstances. of the artist’s career.
After all, he predicted them.”

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