Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)
Paramount (from the ADS series), 1985
This Edition: 101/190. Signed and numered in pencil - lower left. Framed.
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New York.
Publisher: Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York.
Catalogue Raisonné: Feldman & Schellmann II.352: PARAMOUNT
Ads marked a return for Andy Warhol to central themes in his oeuvre, which included advertising and consumerism. In the series, Warhol presented each image as a noticeable appropriation of a corporate logo and product envisioned within the frame of contemporary pop culture. The series is stylistically similar to previous works where Warhol furthered his interest in the world of business and art - or rather, what he called "business art".
Curator Joseph D. Ketner observed that in Ads, Warhol << scanned his past for Pop-styled images culled from newspapers and magazines, which seemed to represent poignant signs of current mass culture and also issues of personal significance >>.
The selection of images Warhol appropriated for his Ads series embodies some of the most powerful corporations in America, such as Mobilgas, Paramount Pictures, Disney, and Apple Macintosh. While others, such as Volkswagen, Chanel and Blackglama, represent some of the best designs and marketing strategies in advertising history.
Originally created by the founder and president of Paramount studios W. W. Hodkinson, the iconic Paramount by Andy Warhol ad with its distinctly pyramidal mountain shape has been the company's logo since its inception. Warhol appropriately depicts the snow-capped mountaintop in white, causing the image to pop out towards the viewer. Warhol's skillful ability to manipulate color is exemplified in this work, as the text and mountain almost appear to pop out three dimensionally in a manner reminiscent of animated film. Like the Paramount company advertising its films, Warhol's Ad series serves as a form of advertisement for Warhol's artwork, blatantly acknowledging the commercial nature of American society and urging consumers to continue buying iconic imagery that will forever proposition them with a new and exciting product.