The Power in a Picture

Andy Warhol’s The Factory

• Andy Warhol was a successful magazine and ad illustrator who became a leading artist of the 1960s Pop art movements. He ventured into a wide variety of art forms, including performance art, filmmaking, video installations, painting, sculptures, and writing. Warhol was born on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, and died on February 22, 1987 in New York City.
• In 1964, Andy Warhol found a loft for rent on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan, which would become the first Factory. The Factory rapidly grew in popularity attended by the wealthy, celebrities including George Abagnalo, Paul America, Penny Arcade, musicians, and transgender and gay individuals. The Factory was often known as a place of “free love” where all types of love were accepted. The Factory often had parties with an abundance of drugs and sex. Andy Warhol eventually had 4 locations in Manhattan that would make many underground movies and films. Warhol called his Factory antendees "Superstars", and he used them as inspiration for his work.
• The Factory became a meeting place of artists and musicians such as Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and Mick Jagger. Here, Warhol would collaborate with the artists and they would make their music. 

Richard Avedon April 1965: Joins Vogue, Rises in Popularity

• Richard Avedon was a professional photographer born May 15, 1923, in New York, and died October 1, 2004. Avedon’s interest in photography, especially fashion photography, came from his father’s interest. After becoming a successful photographer, in 1965, Richard Avedon joined Vogue and began fashion photography. Avedon signed a 1-million-dollar contract with Vogue and remained there for the next 20 years. As Avedon rose in popularity, he began to specialize in photographing celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Marian Anderson, Francis Bacon, and many others. Avedon also photographed Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Andy Warhol. He was also known for photographing members of congress, presidents, and movements like the anti-war activist group, the Chicago Seven, who had been charged by the federal government due to the anti-Vietnam War protests.
• Avedon was incredibly well known, and he was known for taking pictures of things deemed controversial. The pictures of Andy Warhol and his Factory is just one prime example of how Avedon was constantly pushing the societal boundaries in his work.
• Important to note, due to his popularity, Richard Avedon published his first book, Observations, in 1959. According to Diane Arbus, another photographer, individuals who were not known before the photoshoot would become famous after the publication of Observations. 

The Stonewall Riots

• On June 28, 1969, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City. The riots happened 6 days after the raid, which resulted in many injuries and physical altercations between law enforcement and rioters. The Stonewall riots laid the foundation for the gay rights movement and LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.
• During the 60s, and years before, many LGBTQ+ individuals fled to gay bars as a place of refuge. It was often the only place where they felt safe, and they had a community. During these times, gay individuals were abused by police and arrested for being gay.

• Stonewall Inn was registered as a type of private “bottle bar,” which did not require a liquor license because the patrons were supposed to bring their own liquor. The bar was the only place in New York where members of the LGBTQ+ community could flock. Any public show of homosexual behavior would result in being arrested by police or abused.

Connection to Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory

The first event provided in this timeline, "Andy Warhol’s The Factory," helps us better understand Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory. The Factory was a place of gay sex, drugs, and celebrities. In the image, we see many men nude with each other. The image was taken at The Factory, so we can assume these individuals are gay. We can also see a transgender woman in the picture to the left. These people may have been preparing for one of Andy Warhol’s films, or partying.

The second event, "Richard Avedon April 1965: Joins Vogue, Rises in Popularity" can help the audience understand Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory photographed in 1969 due to Avedon’s specialty in photographing political and controversial subjects. The image mentioned above features Andy Warhol’s cast of men, presumably gay, and one transgender woman. The liberal and rebellious group filmed movies with gay sex, porn films, drugs, transgender individuals etc. Richard Avedon took this opportunity to be controversial himself and photographed these individuals and continued taking pictures of such things further in his career. Avedon was very talented and well known in the business, so his art would be able to be seen by many people. His reputation would be able to push forward political movements with the images he captures.

The last event provided, "The Stonewall Riots," shows how Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory has a rebellious nature. The individuals in this picture are members of the LGBTQ+ community and this was very brave of them to make public. While members of the gay community were being abused by police, these individuals posed for a public picture to make a statement. They showed they were not afraid. We can better understand the image above by understanding the time period and the danger. Andy Warhol was constantly publishing controversial things, and he did not want to be silenced. Warhol and the individuals in the image wanted to push the gay agenda. Also, important to note, Andy Warhol and Members of the Factory  was taken in October of 1969. This was just a few months after Stonewall and signifies just how brave these individuals are.

Works Cited:

“1969 Stonewall Riots - Origins, Timeline & Leaders - History.” History, https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.

“Andy Warhol.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, https://www.biography.com/artists/andy-warhol. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023. 

“Cómo Los Disturbios De Stonewall Inspiraron Las Celebraciones Del Orgullo En Todo El Mundo.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 June 2019, https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2019/06/28/como-los-disturbios-de-stonewall-…. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023. 

“The Factory.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Feb. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Factory. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.

“Richard Avedon Photography, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/avedon-richard/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.