Pop Icon

Andy Warhol

Andrew Warhola (born as), Prince of Pop
(August 6, 1928 -- February 22, 1987)

By Jennifer Rosenberg, About.com Guide

Who Was Andy Warhol?

Andy Warhol was one of the most important artists of pop art, which became extremely popular in the second half of the twentieth century. Though he is best remembered for his paintings of Campbell's soup cans, he also created hundreds of other works including commercial advertisements and films.

The Childhood of Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his two older brothers and his parents, both of whom had emigrated from Czechoslovakia. Even as a young boy, Warhol liked to draw, color, and cut and paste pictures. His mother, who was also artistic, would encourage him by giving him a chocolate bar every time he finished a page in his coloring book.

Elementary school was traumatic for Warhol, especially once he contracted St. Vitus' dance (chorea, a disease that attacks the nervous system and makes someone shake uncontrollably). Warhol missed a lot of school during several month-long periods of bed-rest. Plus, large, pink blotches on Warhol's skin, also from St. Vitus' dance, didn't help his self-esteem or acceptance by other students.

During high school, Warhol took art classes both at school and at the Carnegie Museum. He was somewhat of an outcast because he was quiet, could always be found with a sketchbook in his hands, and had shockingly pale skin and white-blonde hair. Warhol also loved to go to movies and started a collection of celebrity memorabilia, especially autographed photos. A number of these pictures appeared in Warhol's later artwork.

Warhol graduated from high school and then went to Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 1949 with a major in pictorial design.

Warhol Discovers Blotted-Line
It was during his college years that Warhol discovered the blotted-line technique. The technique required Warhol to tape two pieces of blank paper together and then draw in ink on one page. Before the ink dried, he would press the two pieces of paper together. The result was a picture with irregular lines that he would color in with watercolor.

Right after college, Warhol moved to New York. He quickly earned a reputation in the 1950s for using the blotted-line technique in numerous commercial advertisements. Some of Warhol's most famous ads were for shoes for I. Miller, but he also drew Christmas cards for Tiffany & Company, created book and album covers, as well as illustrated Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette.


Warhol Tries Pop Art

Around 1960, Warhol had decided to make a name for himself in pop art. Pop art was a new style of art that began in England in the mid-1950s and consisted of realistic renditions of popular, everyday items. Warhol turned away from the blotted-line technique and chose to use paint and canvas but at first he had some trouble deciding what to paint.

Warhol began with Coke bottles and comic strips but his work wasn't getting the attention he wanted. In December 1961, Warhol gave $50 to a friend of his who had told him she had a good idea. Her idea was for him to paint what he liked most in the world, perhaps something like money and a can of soup. Warhol painted both.

Warhol's first exhibition in an art gallery came in 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. He displayed his canvases of Campbell's soup, one canvas for each of the 32 types of Campbell's soup. He sold all the paintings as a set for a $1000.


Warhol Switches to Silk Screening

Unfortunately, Warhol found that he couldn't make his paintings fast enough on canvas. Luckily in July 1962, he discovered the process of silk screening. This technique uses a specially prepared section of silk as a stencil, allowing one silk-screen to create similar patterns multiple times. He immediately began making paintings of celebrities, most notably a large collection of paintings of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol would use this style for the rest of his life.


Making Movies

In the 1960s, Warhol continued to paint and he also made films. From 1963 to 1968, he made nearly 60 movies. One of his movies, Sleep, is a five-and-a-half hour film of a man sleeping.

On July 3, 1968, disgruntled actress Valerie Solanas walked into Warhol's studio ("the Factory") and shot Warhol in the chest. Less than thirty minutes later, Warhol was pronounced clinically dead. The doctor then cut Warhol's chest open and massaged his heart for a final effort to get it started again. It worked. Though his life was saved, it took a long time for his health to recover.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Warhol continued to paint. He also began publishing a magazine called Interview and several books about himself and pop art. He even dabbled in television.

On February 21, 1987, Warhol underwent a routine gall bladder surgery. Though the surgery went well, for an unknown reason Warhol unexpectedly passed away the following morning. He was 58 years old.

About accepting empowerment!

Mahanagar (Big City, Bengali; 1963)

Director: Sathyajit Ray
As always, Ray's drama portrays subjects close to the the structure and evolution of society. This time around he talks about the empowerment of women and their ascent to shoulder the responsibility of the family hand in hand with the culturally appointed head of the family.

This story, which is as old as me, narrates the turn of events in the extended family of a bank clerk, Subrata (Anil Chatterjee) who works part time as tuition teacher to supplement his income to run his household. The people under his roof comprise his father, a sickly frustrated retired teacher, who holds strong to traditional beliefs; his mother, a devoted wife; his teenage sister (a teenage Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan debut); his wife Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee- also in Charulatha) and a young son, Pintoo.

Seeing her husband working day and night to support the family and the increasing cost of living, the wife (Arati) starts work as a sales girl after an initial lukewarm response but later encouragement from her husband. The father, a conservative, feels ambivalent about his current status. As a teacher, he educated many students to secure important jobs, he is now in his twilight years living on a measly pension and off his son's income. He is depressed for being dependent on his son to live. At the same he disapprove of his daughter-in-law working as it is humiliating as he is from the old school where it is degrading to send the fairer sex out of the house to earn.
The mother in law and Pintoo are also unhappy that Arati is working.
Father sees an ophthalmologist who happened to be his old student. He pours his sorrows (of his dire straits) to him who gets him a pair of spectacles for free. He also appears to spill his sob story to his other ex-students for sympathy.
Arati, a shy girl who is not so well versed in English starts her job of selling expensive home items from door to door in a rich neighbourhood. She befriends an Anglo Indian lady named Edith at work who presents her a lipstick as a gift. The lipstick acts as a tool of empowerment in the film. The fact that a lady can appear beautiful not just for her husband, stands out as a body of a lady's self empowerment. 

Arati is doing well in her work and is happy. Meanwhile, small inconveniences happen in the house, like Pintoo falling sick and yearning for his mother. Feeling insecure after seeing Arati so confident at work, Subrata insists for Arati to quit. Just about then, Subrata's bank winds down and he becomes jobless. The family is now at the liberty of Arata for financial support.

Edith falls ill and Arati covers her work appointments. Meanwhile, Subrata makes a casual visit to Arati's boss' office. The Boss promises to get him to meet someone in the evening regarding a job. As Edith returns to work from her illness, the Boss, who has certain preconceived misconception against Anglo-Indian girls and has deep seated hatred against the past colonial masters, dismisses Edith on the spot. Arati, who sees her crying, goes in defence of her friend who was actually genuinely ill. After a few exchange of words, she put in her resignation letter. As she descents the office stairs crying, she bumps into her husband who was going up to meet her Boss (ex-Boss). Arati, apologises for losing her job and putting the family in jeopardy. Subrata, knowing that his chance of getting the job recommended by the Boss is gone, praises her for standing up for her friend. Together, they decide to search for a job, saying, "This Big City (Mahanagar) will have job for both of us!"

As in all his movies, Ray does not over dramatise poverty and hopelessness. Small things illustrate the inconveniences of living in a crowded low middle class dwellings. The constant melody and changing radio stations from supposedly neighbour's house illustrates the crowded neighbourhood they are living in without showing their neighbours. A simple flimsy partition of saree between rooms and the constant movement of family members between rooms shows their lack of privacy!

This film denotes the uprising of educated women in the 1950s Calcutta into the work force and how the society finds it difficult to accept this practice. The husband who is at one point supportive of his wife, even feels intimidated. Any small problem arising in the house is blamed on the absence of the wife in performing her homely duties. At the end of the day, as in the story, the entry of women into the work force is approved...

Listening to the dialogue in Bengali, I just discovered that 'Ferringhi' is a Bengali word for 'Anglo-Indian' or maybe 'European'! And I am still wondering what Batu Ferringhi in Penang stands for. Maybe the huge stones on the beaches there would have been favourite sun bathing spots for the European masters in the pre Merdeka era!

Alexander's heir?

The Man Who Would Be King, 1975
This film is based on Rudyard Kipling's short story. As you know, Kipling wrote many stories about India as the backdrop after being born and spending an excellent impressionable time there. At first impression, 'Jungle Book' written by him comes to mind.
This 1975 film is set in British India at a time it was roamed by wealth looting mavericks, and the locals were ignorant enough to usher in their conquerors as Gods!

A newspaper editor of Northern Star, a Lahore based English daily (Kipling himself, Christopher Plummer ) is pick-pocketed by an ex-NCO of the British Army (Peachy Carnehan acted by Michael Caine) in a railway station. Upon seeing that pocket watch that he stole had a Free Masons' emblem, he took it upon himself to return his loot to the owner. Kipling befriends Carnahan who introduces him to another ex-British soldier, Danny Dravot (Sean Connery). One day, they present themselves at Kipling's office with their grand plan to go a far away district called Kafirstan placed through the Hindu Kush treacherous mountains for fame and fortune.

After masquerading as a magician and a madman in convoy, they manage to wriggle through into the wilderness with their smuggled collection of rifles. Scaling peaks, glaciers and wrath of nature they finally reach Kafiristan. Rescuing a village woman from bandits with their rifles, they were accepted by their community. Dravot and Carnehan managed to train the man to be soldiers, and they started defeating their neighbours. Our two heroes attain demigod status.

A high priest from a neighbouring district challenges him to have his power tested. As he was about to stab Dravot with his dagger, he saw the pendant with the Free Mason eye. This pendant was given by Kipling as a departing gift.

The priest then unveiled a stone with similar eye marking. It was apparently left by Alexander (The Great) many years previously during his conquest of India. He had married a local girl Roxanne but had to go in a hurry. Dravot was hailed as Sikkander II as the heir to Alexander's status of their King.

Life became good for both our heroes. Their interpreter was a Gurkha ex-British soldier named Billy Fish.

Things become complicated when Dravot falls in love with a local girl, Ruksana (Caine's wife, Shakira, a British Guyanaian and 2nd runners-up in 1967 Ms World beauty pageant).
At the wedding ceremony, Ruksana bit Dravot's face drawing blood! She was fearful that marrying a God who would burn her into flames.

Seeing blood on Dravot's face the locals were up in arms as they discovered that he was not God after all. They dropped Dravot into a deep ravine and Carnahan is crucified. Carnahan, having survived a day of the crucifixion is released. He comes back to tell his story to Kipling.

This story in a way is a satire of sorts. It ridicules the Britishers' gung-ho approach of cheating the local blind by their hospitality and the locals for their naivety in their thinking.

An entertaining flick...

Old pictures of KL

Down memory lane KL......it does not seem so long ago
(Thanks to SK for the contribution)

The Bok House was an old mansion on Jalan Ampang built in 1926 and completed in 1929 for a local millionaire, Chua Cheng Bok. In the 1960s and up until its closure in 2001, the mansion housed an upscale restaurant called the Le Coq d'Or (The Golden Cockerel). Part of the original millionaires row, Bok House was probably one of the most visible yet least remembered relic of early KL.

You will never guess or recognise this 1966 road...
Car is turning down towards Jalan Pudu from Jalan Bukit Bintang (next to former Pavilion cinema ..NOT present day Pavilion mall). Tung Shing Hospital is down farther right after the row of shop houses. The popular pre 60s Kum Leng Chinese restaurant is on top left next to cluster of trees. Ongoing digging of roads were a common occurrence even back in the 60s.

Farther up from the Pudu area is Peel Road ( Jalan Peel ) - photo circa 1950s. This was the main trunk road leading out of KL to the Southern part of the country pre 70s before the Loke Yew Highway and Seremban Highway were constructed.

A very very sad and unfortunate chapter of Malaysian history .. the May 13th 1969 racial riots. All Malaysians must unite to ensure this episode of our National history will never allow to happen again.
Photo shows the aftermath of the rampage at Campbell Road ( Jalan Dang Wangi ) before the left turning into Kampung Baru ( Jalan Raja Abdullah )

Newly completed Federal Highway with the EPF building still in the progress of being built at the junction with Jalan Gasing 1962.

Long before Ampang Park, Sungai Wang, BB Plaza or the newest Pavilion shopping malls .. the colonial "Prestigious" shopping places were Whileaway Laidlam, John Little's and Robinson's Dept Store located at Mountbatten Road ( Jalan Tun Perak ) which managed to stay in business till the 1970s (photo) with the top 2 floors being converted into a Chinese restaurant and night club.

A few MBS alumni worked at P&A dept of Tan Choong Motors, the sole agent / distributor of Datsun ( Nissan ) vehicles circa 1950s. Not a very popular Japanese vehicle brand then ...Now known as Edaran Tan Choong, its Head office / show room is still based at Jalan Ipoh since its founding from the early 50s

View from the steps leading up to MBS.
Sultan Street Railway Station signage is clearly displayed on the roof of the station. Directly in front of the station is Foch Avenue.


Front facade of Sultan Street Railway Station circa 1950s.
On the right next to the station was the infamous lane with the steps leading up to Wesley Methodist Church and MBS. Cheong Kee coffee shop (a half way watering hole for the pre1970s students ) was situated next to the lane.

The Jalan Sultan railway station was archived at more than a century old as evidenced on the timeline date of this photo. There was no Jalan Pudu yet and China town area was probably serviced by bullock tracks .
MBS was not located on Petaling Hill yet ( the present site ) and was sited in some shop houses around Kuala Lumpur Municipality.

1960s High Street - Jalan Tun HS Lee.
On left is the main office of Eu Yan San, the long established Chinese Medical Hall.. still at the same site today. Farther down the road is the Bangkok Bank.

One of the last ( if not the last ) 1920s era, Yoke Woo Hin Restaurant is (almost) as old as Sultan Street. Serves old Cantonese tradition cuisine including the annual festive dumplings, moon cakes, dim sum and char siew low wanton meen daily from 5am till late afternoon. Still popular and patronised by China town old timers (but has since closed).

Down the steps of MBS Wesley Methodist Church :
Petaling Street looking towards Foch Avenue ( Jalan Cheng Lock ) early 1950s.
Building in front ( now 6 floors ) is Hakka Fui Chew Association. Present day Kota Raya Complex is next to it on the right. Road on left is (was ) the very popular Cross Street, present Day Jalan Silang, with the Tai Tai ( Chinese rich ladies ) of the 50s - 70s era consisting of mainly Chinese gold smith shops. Some of the shops are still in business today, but facing competition from shopping malls and complex based gold smith shops.

Farther away from MBS : Bukit Bintang Park aka BB Park
This site used to be Hollywood Park way back in the 1930s. Back then, this part of town was considered the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. It was for precisely this reason that Pudu Prison (popularly called Pudu Jail) was built in 1895. Hollywood Park was later acquired by movie giants of the day, Shaw Brothers. It was upgraded to BB Park with a carnival-like setting: there were cabarets and dance halls, cinemas, stage shows, restaurants, game stalls and even a boxing ring! BB Park’s fortunes started to decline with the rising popularity of television and radio. It was closed in the early 1970s and redeveloped into Sungei Wang Plaza.

Aapu Dappakootu style

For many years now, Petronas have been producing meaningful short snippets in conjunction with celebrations of the major races here in Malaysia. Yasmin Ahmad, when she was around, used to come up with catchy ads with meaningful messages about racial unity and preservation of traditional practices.
Unfortunately this year's Deepavali offering produced a lot of flak. It starts with a sad youngster probably unable to get a job, as evidenced by the rolled up scroll in hand. Another chap tries to coax him to 'just chill' and shows him some dance steps. He joins suit. It then snowballs to shows a group of youngsters dancing around like in the busy street amidst the traffic jam in a typical Kollywood/Bollywood scene or maybe Psy's Oppa Gangnam Style, trying to cheer people up and spread the mood of celebration. It did not, however, spread the intended joyous mood to everyone but instead rather drew brickbats.
First of all, the beat that they have chosen, Dappan Kootu, originated as cry by the paid people of marginal South Indian groups during a funeral processions in remote villages and the socially (caste) deprived side of town. Over time, this catchy drum inspired dance tune found its way to the silver screen. As per generations before, the viewing public blindly imitates their hero's antics wholesome whether is served. Monkey see, monkey do! With the crime and gangster levels reaching alarming proportions in the Malaysian Indian community, which is incidentally blamed on the Chennai produced movies, things imitating Kollywood is not good in good taste. We should have our own identity. But then, if it is not captivating enough, people would not turn around to give a second glance.
For a religious function which signify the win of good over evil, light over death, something mimicking a death knell may not be most appropriate.
There are many North Indians Hindus and Sikhs who celebrate Deepavali bur they were sadly not included here. Okay, the producers may be just following pop culture. The truth is what people like now. You get what the masses like. This year Dappan Kottu, next maybe Bhangra.
I am sure if this were to happen, again there will be people complaining as the Sikh population is small in this country. You can satisfy everyone or is it that we are becoming overtly sensitive?
Anyway they cannot be showing Bharatnatyam year in and year out. Happy Deepavali!
Do the Dappan
Old Deepavali Ad

The best graduation speech!

Young King Solomon

Now it is that time of the year where a certain group of teenagers aged 17 will be mollycoddled with their favourite cooking and given lots of space in the house. They would be kings, ensuring peace and quiet in the house and metaphorically could get away with murder. Refrigerators would be packed with chocolate and packet drinks. And the queue of parents waiting at the school gate to pass the hot burger or brain soup is a sight to to behold. All these in the hope that the parents would not be blamed for their failures in examinations. As more and more Malaysian parents become rodents in the race for academic excellence, character building, extra-academic performance and development of the non-dominant side of the brain takes a back burner! But that is another story...
I remember back in November 1994, in the wintery chilly winds of Edinburgh, I was walking aimlessly past the museum when I bumped into, of all person,  my euphoric varsity mate (BBP) whom I had not laid eyes on over 6 years just manifested in front of me. Euphoric, because he had cleared his professional examinations. Talk about the world being small! Edinburgh is for Malaysian aspirants to specialize in the field of medicine, like Paris was for writers in 1920s - great place to meet the same minded. In another instance, a guy (SS) jumped right in front of me from a moving bus and he happened to be working in the same place back in Malaysia!

Rush with goodies!

RCP, Edinburgh

So BBP became my soul mate for the couple of  days before his departure home. I had the privilege of attending his convocation in the ceremonial-rich occasion, full regatta with bag pipes and tartans in the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. The then President of the College made a memorable speech which I thought was very apt and hit the nail right where it should. He said something to the effect of that the scrolls received by the candidates were not just success of the recipients alone. It is also the result of all the sacrifice of the loved one (wives, parents, children) in doing little things like making that thick  black coffee and other trivial things. How true!

Carry on Again Doctor

Carry On Again Doctor! 1969
This film brings me to the time 40 years on my daily bus trips to Hutchings School on the public bus. On one of the lucky days when I get a seat on the bus, I would gain passive learning absorbing like a sponge from the view I would see off the bus. The area at the end of Dato Kramat Road opposite 'Craven A' restaurant used to be an area (now Gama supermarket, don't know whether it is still there) with a large 2 storey high 3 faced cinema billboard depicting shows playing at cinemas Cathay, Odeon and Gala. Cathay always screens English language movies, Odeon Mandarin/Cantonese whilst Gala, I presume was for adult themed and horrors flicks. I remember seeing posters from the 'Carry On' series and the then scary sensation 'Snake Girl' and 'Snake Woman' Hong Kong films.
For this old times' sake, I decided to give this movie a go. 'Carry on again Doctor' is a British slapstick comedy with a little bit of English wittiness infused in its dialogue. It is just a commercially focused sex exploiting pass time film with no cerebral activity. Oh what the heck, time to unwind after heavy dialogue saga of World War 2 and Adolf Hitler.
In fact the 'Carry On' series, all 31 of them are the biggest thing contributed by UK to the cinema world after The Man from the Secret Service with the licence to kill.
The recurring cast appears all most their films. In this 1969 outing, the story revolves around a bumbling young doctor Dr Nookey who is forever creating havoc in this NHS hospital. After creating quite a ruckus at  a hospital charity party after his drink was spiked with surgical spirit, he banished to serve as a doctor in a godforsaken shack called hospital in a tropical island where it rains for 9 months in a year and  there is typhoon for the other three.
You see, this banishment was the Senior Surgeon Dr Shaver's scheme to place a doctor in a widow's (Mrs Moore) missionary hospital that she was financing. In return, Dr Shaver was to received funds for him to start his own nursing home.
Dr Nookey found that that what he thought as hospital in paradise turned out to be a leaky ramshackle run by an orderly, Mr Screwy. As all the natives still believed in the witch doctor and no one seek modern treatment, Screwy use the drug money to stock loads of Red Label whiskey.
The wards turned out to be where Screwy housed his 5 wives and kids!
Disheartened, Dr Nookey drowns his sorrow in the bottle. Screwy tries to get Dr Nookey to marry one of the local girl. Noticing that the girl was way overweight, he declines. Screwy brings the same girl a week later much slimmer with his own witch doctor formulation of medicine.
Nookey trades the medicine for a box and cigarette (Rothmans) and heads back home. With Mrs Moore's financial backing, he starts his own successful private weight loss practice.
Reading about his success in the media, his former colleagues and Screwy scramble over to claim their share of the pie with hysterical predictable outcome.
Just good to pass time when you have nothing else better to do....