Andy Warhol – influenced by Dennis the Menace cartoon character in The Beano.
Sounds incredible, but that’s the reflection of singer Marc Almond (Soft Cell) in Classic Pop magazine.
Apparently Marc Almond was at one time with Andy Warhol when he was reading the Beano. And the influences go further. Warhol may have been introduced to The Beano by David Bowie, again with shocked hair styles.
If we look at much of Warhol’s iconic pop art works: Elvis Prestley, Marylin Monro, Mickey Mouse and in particular his self portrait, we can actually see The Beano influences.
The style and composition of the cartoons is one thing but above all, the layers of colours imposed on one another.
Let’s look at a few examples to compare style, composition and technique …
The Beano started publication in Dundee in 1938 by DC Thompson and is still a top comic and comic book seller today.
You wonder why Warhol didn’t feature characters from The Beano in his pop art oeuvre. Would you be happy if your works were compared to a comic? Would you admit to being influenced by a cartoon character? I would have thought Andy Warhol was above such limitations in his thinking. I would hope to think that he would have been amused to admit to such influences. In which case, maybe the tale of his being influenced by The Beano is rather a tall tale.
Arts-Tales brings you a little insight into the world of art. A light hearted dab and dibble.