Banksy and Warhol: Constructing their Artistic Identities

Becoming known for your art does not happen overnight. You don’t wake up one morning knowing exactly what the public wants to see and exactly how to create it. It takes practice and somewhere along the way you find your own little niche, a style that becomes you reflected in the medium. I have a hunch people don’t always know what they’re doing when they are making a name for themselves, but the people that figure it out find a way to make their names go down in history. Banksy, with his hidden identity, seems to make art mostly for himself to get his thoughts and views out for everyone to see. Maybe at first he didn’t know his work would make such a large impact, but now that he knows that it does he has figured out exactly how to manipulate the media. He seems to have no desire for fame, yet that might just be what he wants us to think. Andy Warhol, on the other hand, moved to New York because he wanted to make a splash, he spent years studying, practicing, and perfecting his craft. He soon became the most successful commercial artist in New York City. Warhol loved the fame he received, he attended all the parties and hung out with celebrities. He knew what interested the crowds and he gave it to them. Andy Warhol and Banksy have many differences yet a startling amount of similarities, one of which being they created their own brand that was unlike any other.

It seems natural that Andy Warhol, with his background in commercial art, should’ve been a master at self-branding, he knew what attracts interest. He even created a unique persona just to intrigue people, his platinum wig, red glasses, and vague responses to interview questions. Banksy, on the other hand, no one knows who he is or what he looks like and that leaves his art to speak for itself, which as provocative as his work tends to be, it has no problem doing. The fact that Banksy is a mystery creates it’s own buzz, and his own personal identity because he is a unique character. Though Banksy goes about creating his persona in a way unlike Warhol’s and he has a different marketing strategy, his techniques are just as effective. These two with their very distinguishable styles, although often copied, have created their names into brands.

Andy Warhol and Banksy both have this technique where they take things that the public is used to seeing and then make it into something different. For example, for Warhol, his “Campbell’s soup cans” paintings or his celebrity portraits. Banksy’s way of going about this was different than Warhol’s but still the same concept. For example, his piece called “Show me the Monet.” This painting is basically Monet’s “Water Lilies” painting but in the foreground in the pond there are shopping carts. Regardless of the meaning of these paintings Warhol and Banksy were both doing something unheard of for their time.

Warhol once stated that by minimizing how much of his work he does himself he wanted to be thought of as a machine. Warhol wished to objectify himself and that’s what he did, he is thought of as his appearance and his style of art. Warhol became the father of pop-art, no one else was doing things the way he did before. Even his films were different, he became the first person to display his films as works of art and not just movies. Warhol’s way of branding his work reminds me of some famous fashion designers, like Louis Vuitton or Gucci. The logo is printed everywhere so you know and recognize the brand and the people with these items want you to know who the designer is because they’re expensive. Another way Warhol’s work reminds me of a fashion designer’s is that the ideas are all his, he still gets the credit, but the actual product wasn’t always made by him. And as long as his name is connected to a piece in some way, people think it’s valuable and are willing to pay large sums of money. Warhol’s goal was to gain fame and to be a celebrity, not just an artist. To do this he knew he had to do something new and exciting to draw attention to himself. He had to change his identity from an unheard of shy slovak boy from Pittsburgh to someone people wanted to know and follow. By choosing this unique path he created an identity that was new and only his.

Like Warhol, Banksy is an artistic genius who knew what he wanted and exactly how to obtain it. Banksy always put his work in the limelight on buildings and places he knew it would be seen, while this is technically illegal, he was still getting noticed. Part of the reason Banksy gets so much attention is social media. He puts his work in public where anyone can see it it, take a picture, and post it. Through social media Banksy’s work will always live on regardless of being painted over or removed. Banksy has a very “non-conformist” way he goes about things, he has a “don’t care about anything” kind of attitude, though he is very passionate about his art. This rebel attitude is very popular these days, people are attracted to it and want to be associated with it, for whatever reason. Even though Banksy puts on this kind of facade most of his work has a political or social message to it proving he does care and wants others to too. Therefore, Banksy, with his complicated hidden identity and “illegal” artwork is someone that attracts this generation’s interest. Banksy is very outspoken about art, he’s especially against “meaningless” art such as modern art, he once said, “Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little.” Though Banksy’s art sells for a very high price he once sold his work undercover on a street corner in New York for just $60. This seems like a kind of ploy to get the point across about the absurd amounts of money artwork goes for. Regardless, Banksy is still earning good money even if he thinks it’s ridiculous how ostentatious and superficial the public can be. This just goes to show that even if the quality of the work is the same, a well-known name goes a long way and can mean the difference between hundreds of dollars and hundreds of thousands.

Another artist who has come to realize the benefit of advertising yourself by not fitting in and creating controversy around their “character” is Jeff Koons. A lot of pieces of his are controversial and when he is asked to explain or justify them he tends to remain silent to keep the conversation growing and attract attention. Koons has even said that there is no hidden meaning behind any of his bizarre pieces. Jeff Koons’ work on its own wouldn’t particularly stand out as being an impressive work of art, it’s the name Koons has made for himself and his work that makes people want to pay large sums of money. Koons doesn’t even make most of his art like Warhol. He’s the ideas man and then he hires painters and sculptors to help bring his ideas to life. Like Banksy and Warhol, Koons knows that since he is in the spotlight as much as his work. What he does and says affects how people view his work. He treats his art as a business which he excels at because of his business background working as a broker, his leadership skills, and his desire to make money.

A big reason Banksy and Warhol are so well-known, is their followings. While it isn’t always obvious they have helped out a lot of people. They both have had a lot of people anticipating their next work or wanting to be a part of it. There have been cases when Banksy puts a mural on someone’s wall then they are able to turn around and sell that wall for millions. Warhol made everyone in his company famous, people wanted to be around him and collaborate with him, some were famous before him but by working together they knew they could improve their social statuses. Banksy and Warhol were never making art just for themselves, they made it to make a statement. Sometimes political and sometimes just to put themselves and their name out there. Whatever their reason for their art may be, Warhol and Banksy both are business men just as much as they are artists. They advertised their work, advised their posse, and were passionate about their work just like a businessman would with his company. Afterall, Andy Warhol did say in an interview, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.

Sources:

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"5 LESSONS IN BRANDING FROM ANDY WARHOL." The Lost Memos. N.p., n.d. Web.

Kleon, Austin. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Discovered. New York: Workman, 2012. Print.

"Warhol Banksy." Lappindesign. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.