Andy Warhol’s art piece, Heinz Tomato Ketchup box, is a sculpture and exact representation of a Heinz tomato ketchup box. The sculpture itself was constructed using wood panels and the graphics printed on the sides were done by the use of a silkscreen printing method. The sculpture is free as there is nothing holding it down on the base of it. The graphics printed on the sides are in red paint and consist of the same information a regular Heinz box possessed back in the 1960s. Andy Warhol's sculpture is a commentary on the flawed standards of traditional art and the effects of industrialism in a consumerist society.
Andy Warhol studied art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology when he was younger and studied Pictorial Design at the Institute after. He has a background in working as a commercial illustrator. He produced and reproduced many pieces for magazines. He was obsessed with the idea of mass production which influenced his own work, he wanted to be machine-like. Originally, he painted everything by hand but he then realized that it took longer to release his work. As a result, he began exploring different forms of screen printing and mastered the art of silkscreen printing. Warhol used this printing method for his artworks and began mass-producing them. During this time, it was the beginning of the Pop Art movement in America, creating shockwaves throughout the art industry.
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The sculpture is a part of the Pop Art movement and therefore, it is considered pop art itself. It was different from traditional art as it drew inspiration from pop culture and mass media. During this time, the art world was in a clash with the movement. Andy Warhol's, work was not considered art by many and when he was asked for the deeper meaning behind his work, he would say there is none. Traditional art generally is embedded with layers of meaning, making it not as accessible to many. The art he put out made it more accessible to the general public and many began seeing a meaning behind his works, although he said there is none. Critics found this and insulting and believed that his art should not be in museums. The statement he is making is on the subjectivity of art. If many find his work to have meaning then traditional art has no meaning itself. The piece is making fun of the absurdity of the exclusivity that is experienced in the world of art.
The clean, geometric proportions of the box and flawless print give it a machine produced feeling. The mass production of his works ties into that same feeling. This adds value and meaning to the piece while also taking away some for each time a is box created. In an interview with the press, Andy Warhol is told his art could not be described as an original sculpture and he agrees with the comment. He also agreed with the commentary that pop art had become repetitious. This added to more of the existing negativity towards his sculpture and questioned its validity. Although not clear to some, the latter was capable of seeing the statement the piece expresses. It is about the repetitiveness/monotony of the mass production of products and its effect on the consumerist society.
American society is driven by mass production of products and the consumption of products by its consumers. In the beginning, the product is highly sought out due to the sense of originality and the need that the feeling creates. It is appreciated and meaningful to the consumers. It is that over time, the repetition of industrialism then begins to devalue these mass-produced items and causes them to lose meaning to the people. As a result, it continues to be consumed but we become numb to what we see through this process. The reactions that the work generates is a result of this process. Andy Warhol makes no commentary on the meaning behind his artworks because the response from people and society are part of it as well.
The commentary behind Andy Warhol’s Heinz Ketchup Tomato box is not clear to many and some still believe it holds no deeper meaning or value. It takes some thorough analysis for one to see the meaning embedded in the piece. This is how, Andy Warhol, was able to make these bold statements about traditional art and the consumerist society. Artists are hyper-aware of society as most of their works are a commentary about society itself. The statements had to do with what was currently happening at that time and without the context, it would be impossible to see or understand.
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