Andrew Johnson

Comparative Study

My comparative study is going to focus on the cultural influences that each

artwork has been affected by. Such as Mondrians Composition in Red, Blue,
and Yellow, 1930, the first glance at such a sophisticated clean piece of work
can be deceiving if the background knowledge is not known first. Based on
that statement, I will be looking at three works of art that I will closely
analyze, then compare and contrast each artwork.

Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930 by Piet

Mondrian

Image taken from : www.pietmondrian.org

The piece Composition II in

Red, Blue, and Yellow
demonstrates fine
craftsmanship and fine
precision in technique. This
piece was created sometime
in 1930, which was
Mondrians highpoint in his
purity of art. Piet Mondrian
was also a member of the
de Stijl art movement. This
movement of peaceful
artists wanted to
communicate the causes of
war. One of these causes
was the fact that countries
focused on the individualism
in each other and not the
universal connections.

Mondrians inspiration
for his composition
works are from the chaos
and destruction of World
War 1. This is where the
movement de Stijl, or
The Style originated.
These artists, including
Mondrian, were Dutch
citizens responding to
the horrid World War 1.
These artists wanted to
give the viewer a sense
of harmony. The
message that Mondrian
and these several artists
communicated was that
Image Taken From: www.dailymail.co.uk
unity and peace brought
people
together,
The old
tends toand
individual. The new tends to the universal. The struggle
would
stop
the
wars in and the universal is revealed in both world war and
between
the
individual
the
world.
contemporary
art (Art Past Art Present 510).

While studying the piece Composition in Red, Blue,

and Yellow, the viewer can see that there is a high
use of line and color. The thickness of the black
lines can show the separation in the world at the
time these pieces were created. This is a significant
connection to what Mondrian believed what his art
work should say to his audience. In the close on the
top right corner, it demonstrates the said separation.
However, Mondrians color choice in the work has
simplistic serenity which the de Stijl artists were
attempting to do in their pieces. Furthermore, the
red within the work can be viewed the chaos of the
war going on during the time. Each of the elements
of art mentioned enhance the meaning behind the
work. Lastly, the use of unity in the piece is a direct
message to the world war, which would have been
going on at the time. This unity here shows that
these colors can be balanced within a piece of art
and end up complimenting each other to form a very
abstract, yet metaphorical and peaceful work of art.

Both images taken from:

www.piet-mondrian.org

Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, 1962

The Pope of Pop Andy
Warhol created the Marilyn
Diptych in 1962. The
movement to which he
belonged to was Pop Art.
This movement focus was
to reproduce products that
already existed, but to help
increase market for the said
product. Based on that, the
movement had progressed
from a marketing technique
to a artistic movement.
Andy Warhol, the artist
responsible for making
Marilyn Diptych, said that
looking at these Pop Art
pieces will view America in
a different way.

Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, 1962

Image taken from: www.tate.org.uk

The style of the Pop Art movement was to focus on appealing to the sight of the viewer. Since the
Pop Art movement started off as a way to advertise products such as Coca Cola and Campbells
soup, the use of color was important. In the Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, there is also a use
of contrast due to the Color vs. Black and White. This could signify the on going movement of the
American culture.

Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, 1

Image taken from: www.tate.org.u
Another meaning this work can
bring up is the opposite of what
I said before, the American
Culture could be going down
hill. This is clear because the
quality of the diptych from left
to right fades and does lose
quality. However that meaning
can be contradicted with the
opposite, the culture is
enhancing itself. Therefore, the
fading can be going from worse
to fantastic making the
American culture being
depicted as going forward.

Contrast art pieces

The two pieces have the use of separation. With the Marilyns, they
each have their own value which makes them individual, rather than
being separated with lines like in Mondrians piece. Mondrian also
uses white alone. This can show a negative space on the painting.
While in the Warhol, the white is accompanied by a form of Marilyn.
This makes the use of white in both of the pieces different.
Image taken from : www.pietmondrian.org
Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, 1
Image taken from: www.tate.org.u

Both of the works use line here.

Although the use of line in the
Image taken from :
Warhol is not clear, there is still a
www.piet-mondrian.org
sense of line that shows repetition in
the work. Same with Mondrian, line
can show repetition with the use of
geometric boxes. That brings up the
similarity of geometric shapes. The
idea of geometric repetition shows
organization and a sense of peace.
Although the meaning behind the
Warhol may not be in line with
serenity, the idea of it is shown.
Also, the colors used in each or
similar because they both have a
color triad. Actually the Marilyn may
not have a triad, but there is a
limited use of color that can reinforce
the peace and simplicity of each
Marilyn Diptych
by
work.
Andy Warhol, 1962
Image taken from:
www.tate.org.uk

My local artist that I have found is Andre Valley.

Valley is a sculptor that resides in Madison,
Wisconsin. She also is a professor at the
Madison area technical college, and has
experience with teaching and is also a working
artist on the side. The piece that caught my eye
from Valleys gallery was Tangle #2. Simplicity in
artworks shows unity by having a color triad that
communicates a message of peace. In the
artwork, Valleys statement about it is that there
is movement inspired by music. Music itself is
an art form that can strongly influence an
aesthetic form, and Valley captures that, just as
her statement says.

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11 Sept. 2015.

<http://andreevalley.com/metal08/Tangles10/Tangle8.html>.
Made from aluminum, Valleys artwork is based upon
perceived chaos and how it is contained within an object.
Her pieces are inspired by music and reflect the color,
tempo, and interweaving of sounds. Shape, color, pattern,
piling, stacking and tangling permit viewing one shape and
pattern through another and reveal ever changing
relationships.

This is another example of a work made by

Andre Valley.
Valley, Andre. "Wall Flowers." Web. 18 Nov.
2015.

While looking at these two pieces, both have the use of the primary colors. This is the only triad used in
the two pieces and it can be interpreted that each piece has to do with some sort of serenity. As with
the Mondrians Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow, the movement The Style had an overall goal of
trying to communicate war. War was the historical context at the time Mondrian created this work. This
can be seen in Valleys Tangle #2 because from the statement about the work, music is what influenced
her to create this piece. By looking at Valleys work, there is a strong sense of movement that can be
seen with the color triad and how each negative space is closely related to Mondrians work.

Image taken from : www.pietmondrian.org

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11 Sept. 2015.

<http://andreevalley.com/metal08/Tangles10/Tangle8.html>.

A clear difference between these two works is that each is a different median of art. In Mondrians work,
there is line that divides each section of color or white. Unlike in Valleys piece, there is space that
separates each form, and yet shows organization through the unity of the metal pieces. Another
difference in the work is that Mondrian uses black in his piece which shows clear separation. As stated
before, Valley uses the space in between the metals to express separation. Another visual difference in
the two is that with Valley's work, the value of the primary colors pops out against the white background.
This value is far more intense that Mondrians painting. The hues are not as intense with Mondrians
piece, but this can be a connection to the belligerence of Europe during the war periods, which can
communicate sadness.

Image taken from : www.piet-mondrian.org

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11 Sept. 2015.

<http://andreevalley.com/metal08/Tangles10/Tangle8.html>.

Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, 1962

Image taken from: www.tate.org.uk

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11 Sept. 2015.

<http://andreevalley.com/metal08/Tangles10/Tangle8.html>.

In the pieces, there is the use of division. Each Marilyn portrait is its own portrait and has a different
value in each color portrait. That is the same for the black and white Marilyn where they have different
shades of black. For Valleys piece, the division is communicated with the different hues of individual
metals. The entanglement shows connection, yet each part is unique. Another part that shows these
are relatively the same is that both textures help share the emotion of each work. In the diptych, the
black and white Marilyn have a streaky look to them, which can show that something is fading. Valley
has a very smooth texture to her metals which shows flow. The flow can communicate that there is a
emotion of happiness that is trying to said.

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11

Sept. 2015.
<http://andreevalley.com/metal08/Ta
ngles-10/Tangle8.html>.

Each piece is another median. Valleys work is

made from flattened and twisted aluminum
metal. The aluminum metal is smooth also
and has a flowing movement. Unlike in the
Warhol, the Marilyns start to turn rigid and
loses value in the black and white. This is
different in Valleys work because the value
stays bright throughout the entire tangle of
aluminum. There is no fading at all in the
metal sculpture which will contrast extremely
from the Warhol piece. To add on to the value
and hue of the pieces, the Warhol
demonstrates the use of black and white.
This is clear because this is the only of the
two pieces that use these shades of black.
Also the craftsmanship for the Valley piece
can be seen as clean and precise. The Warhol
has craftsmanship, but also has the messy
black and white diptych to again show fading
away. The Valley demonstrates that there is
no fading away, but that there is an entity
that will constantly be existent, rather than
being
fadedby
away.
Marilyn
Diptych
Andy Warhol,
1962
Image taken from:
www.tate.org.uk

Marilyn Diptych by Andy

Warhol, 1962
Image taken from:
www.tate.org.uk
Image taken from : www.pietmondrian.org
Each work that has been examined and compared and contrasted each have a similar visual
and metaphorical characteristics.
Firstly, the Mondrian, Warhol, and Valley each show a form of a color triad in the works. As
said earlier, the Warhol does not focus on only three colors, but the hues throughout the
piece are kept to a minimum amount which adds to the simplicity of the work. Visually
also, the three works have their own interpretation of division. In the Mondrian, there is a
clear separation of each box with a black line. There is also division in the Warhol,
although not as clear as in the Mondrian, the individual images of Marilyn Monroe can be
considered separations. Lastly, the Valley sculpture displays separation because each piece
of twisted metal is its own piece. They are not connected in any way, which adds to the
difference in parts of the work. All of these works and the use of the separation show unity
which is a huge factor on the connection of the three works.

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11 Sept.

2015.
<http://andreevalley.com/metal08/Tangles10/Tangle8.html>.

Marilyn Diptych by Andy

Warhol, 1962
Image taken from:
www.tate.org.uk

Image taken from : www.piet-mondrian.org

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11

Sept. 2015.
<http://andreevalley.com/metal
08/Tangles-10/Tangle8.html>.

Each piece has its own way of communicating its view of peace and serenity. The Mondrian demonstrates the desire for a war free
world and world peace. This is clear because the use of white, which can be seen as purity, and the use of color in the work,
which can show divided emotions during a war torn time period.
The Warhol may not directly show the desire for peace, but this meaning can be found through the use of fading hues and the use of
a color triad. These can show the need for simplicity that is not there in the world surrounding them. Perhaps this is what Warhol
was attempting to communicate when the piece was made. It can also be inferred that the piece was made to communicate the
desire for a hold on moving on into the future. As the work goes from left to right, the fade into absolutely nothing can be seen
clearly. As the Marilyn image becomes not as visible as its colorful counterparts, it shows that change is moving quickly. So the
peace that this work is trying to communicate is the slowing down of change.
Then there is the piece by Valley, which was influenced by music that was captured through the work of metal sculpting. The work
does not focus on a quickness in change, or a statement of war becoming too harsh, but it can be seen as a way of
communicating the need for unity. It is like saying that the work is showing that different cultures is in need of unity, and through
the music and color triad, this message is shown.

After examining the previous artworks and

exploring their cultural influences, I went
about creating my own piece that is
influenced by these works. I created a
triptych that applies what Andy Warhol was
trying to communicate, which was describing
the world around him, as well as Mondrian,
and his theme of serenity in his artworks. I
started with a basic sketch of how I will depict
Mondrian in my triptych. The sketch I made
demonstrated Mondrians style clearly, but I
wanted to integrate it into my own work. I
sought out to have this Mondrian influence in
my mind, so I depicted this by having
somewhat of a thought bubble over my own
head. For the record, the face of me is to be
influenced by wartime propaganda, so this
can show a contrast in my work. Mondrian
and the other Stijl artists wanted to
communicate peace during wartime, so by
adding this, it improves the connection to
Mondrian. As for Warhol, that is to come later
when the three spaces are all put together.

Image is my own

Image is my own
One component I felt needed
emphasized in my work was pop art.
Earlier, I concluded that the pop art
movement focuses on either the forward
movement of a culture observed, or the
backwards movement of a culture. I feel
like I want to demonstrate the theme of
moving forward. So what I want to
create is an advertisement based brain
that highlights both left and right brain.
The two sides will have complementary
colors to show the contrast between the
two sides, as well as a background that
will yet again contrast with the brain
colors. The Warhol piece applies the
theme of contradiction with his diptych
by his use of color, and the theme of
moving forward. In my piece, I want to
communicate the same theme by having
my brain stand out from the background
of the painting, as show that I will stand
out and move forward despite the
differences around me. By adding this
to the Mondrian inspired painting in this
triptych, this work will show the
connections that I have with these two
artists.

After I painted the last panel

for my triptych, the realistic
brain, I finished the piece that
I can connect my three artist
to as a whole. As stated
before during the process for
the Mondrian inspired work, I
wanted to show the serenity of
my mind, as well as clash of
culture with the wartime
propaganda face of myself
and the peace-wanting Stijl
artists. For my middle panel,
the Warhol connection I have
is the physical aspect; triptych
style painting. As for the
theme of that middle painting,
I have demonstrated that I
can communicate that I can
move forward in a world that
clashes with my brain. The
use of complementary colors
aid this theme, and shows a
strong connection between
my work and Warhols.
However, my connection to
Valley is obscure. After
looking at every piece,
including my own, to this
point, I observed that each

Image is my own
The unity that can be seen with my piece is the flow each panel has. I
described the first two panels, but the third was inspired by the Surrealist
movement and shows how my community of school and neighborhood
influence what I am today. Each panel has to do with the mind, which is
why I my argument stands for the flow between the three. With
Mondrian's, there is a flow with the use of his negative white spaces along
with the heavy black lines and the primary colors. Warhol uses repetition
to show the unity between both colored and the black and white Marilyns.
Valley uses the twisted metal to unite the complementary primary colors
together and show the movement of music.

Each work does have its differences despite the

similarities I listed off in the previous slide. Aside
from the physical differences, my piece has little
use of dark colors as opposed to Warhol and
Mondrians work. Even though I used Mondrians
style, I did not completely go for the pure Stijl style
in my work and decided to contrast that with the
color choices in the same panel and the other
panels. Warhol also has a panel dedicated to
strictly black and white, which I did not do
whatsoever. To me, I wanted my piece to pop, and
I put emphasis on colors by using their
complements. Also the Valley work only shows the
connection of unity and the use of primary color, but
the focus of my piece was the mind and hers is the
focus on how music can shape a physical form.

Image taken from :

www.piet-mondrian.org

Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web.

11 Sept. 2015.
<http://andreevalley.com/meta
l08/Tangles-10/Tangle8.html>.

Marilyn Diptych by Andy

Warhol, 1962
Image taken from:
www.tate.org.uk

Image is my own

To conclude, after examining the cultures and principles of art and design for each of the previous works,
I can say that my final piece can connect to them. To evaluate myself on how I did, I did accomplish
what needed to be done in order to connect my piece to the other works showed. However, the one I
struggled connecting to was the Valley sculpture, but since it was a sculpture, finding a clear cut
connection was difficult.
The culture in my piece is strictly realted to me, which I can appreciate more now that I have knowledge
on previous artworks. Being able to demonstrate these cultures in my painting allows the viewer to see
what I feel at a certain given time and allows them to question what influenced me to create it.
Finally, looking at
culture behind art work
lets me find out what a
possible meaning can
be, as well as why the
work was made. As I
said about the
Mondrian piece, works
can be deceiving at first
glance, however the
motivation behind the
work is what gives a
work meaning.
Whether it be war,
moving forward, or
simply musical
influences, researching
cultures is vital for
artworks.
Image is my own

Bibliography
Wilkins, David, Bernard Schultz, and Katheryn Linduff. "De Stijl and the Bauhaus." Art Past Art Present. Fifth
ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.
"Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930 by Piet Mondrian." 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Tomlinson, Simon. "The World War One Wasteland: Haunting Rare Images Show Apocalyptic Destruction on
the Western Front." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2282108/World-War-One-wasteland-Haunting-rare-imagesapocalyptic-destruction-Western-Front.html>. WW1 image
"Andy Warhol, 'Marilyn Diptych' 1962." Tate. Web. 27 Feb. 2015. <http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/warholmarilyn-diptych-t03093>.
Valley, Andre. Tangle #2. Web. 11 Sept. 2015. <http://andreevalley.com/metal08/Tangles-10/Tangle8.html>.
Valley, Andre. "Wall Flowers." Web. 18 Nov. 2015.