The reason that I offered that background concerning those three events is that it helps me to explain what Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory was doing socially, culturally, and, politically when Richard Avedon created it. The images that were produced by Richard Avedon resulted in a pushback from the public. His images included themes and people that openly pushed the boundaries of art and culture. His work done at The Factory encapsulated counterculture. The Factory was a hub for drugs, sex, and free expression. These were not things that were viewed positively by society at the time. This work is significant because of Avedon’s ability to protest societal beliefs with one image and in his way, just by being inside of The Factory. The image itself displays pivotal figures of art and counterculture, the context of The Factory itself allows us to better establish an intent of the image beyond just the people we see. The style and composition of his images, including all of his murals, are encaptivating. The simplicity of the images themselves but the larger-than-life sizing of them is monumental. Avedon's large murals elevate the people captured and their lives. These portraits gave people society did not deem worth of attention a spotlight and turned countercultural figures into icons by putting them on the same pedestal as political or social figures. The size of the art also gives the viewer a close-up of the subjects. Being able to see the textures and facial details of the person photographed adds tension to the viewer and makes the viewer feel almost compelled by them. This caused discomfort and uproar within society because they were in a sense face to face with the complete opposite of what they believed to be “normal”. The impact of the murals and their size is an important background to include because it encourages us to consider the details more closely and realize how culturally significant these images are beyond first glance.

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Brent, Frances. “Visual Moment: Photographer Richard Avedon’s New Take on the Group Portrait.” Moment Magazine, 17 Aug. 2023, momentmag.com/visual-moment-photographer-richard-avedons-new-take-on-the-group-portrait/. 

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“Fotonostrum Presents the Exhibition ‘Richard Avedon, behind the Scenes.’” METALOCUS, www.metalocus.es/en/news/fotonostrum-presents-exhibition-richard-avedon-behind-scenes. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.