This thesis is the study to elucidate the gender identity, revealed in works of Andy Warhol(1928~1987) in 1950s and 1960s. Warhol appeared in art society with a Can of Campbell’s Soup in 1962, and he was bestowed designation a ‘superstar’ of Pop Art or ‘master’ of Pop Art. As a result, studies on Warhol have been conducted by focusing on silk screen technique or the image of death in a broad framework to introduce popular culture and consumption culture.
Besides his great art works, he is also known as a homosexual. In this sense, this research focuses on gender identity of Warhol, which is homosexuality. As a artists, Warhol produced considerable works expressing his gender identity compared to any other contemporary artists of the late 20th century. Warhol’s art works from 1950s have been exclueded in the art history as it was considered as commercial design. However his work from this period had continually influenced his entire activity significantly.
The works of Warhol showed different aspects according to each period. 1950s was the period that Warhol was engaged in commercial art society and most male artists in commercial art were homosexuals. On the account that Warhol did not need to conceal his gender identity, he revealed his identity comparatively frankly. Warhol embodied homosexuality through shoes, and expressed the beauty of homosexuality through the sexuality of boys.
Contrary to 1950s, 1960s was the period that Warhol worked in the society of fine arts. At that time, the society of high arts was male-oriented and was not friendly to the minority of homosexuals. Accordingly, Warhol inevitably hided his gender identity and secretly encoded his gender identity instead of completely oppressing it. He concealed his homosexual meaning in comics that was the typical popular culture in those days, and released his homosexual desire through the tough image of male like an outrageous fellow or a cowboy.
Works of Warhol implying homosexuality received occasional censorship. However, he was not silent like other homosexual artists such as Jasper Johns or Robert Rauschenberg. Warhol symbolically indicated that white male-oriented heterosexuality in the context of ‘Abstract Expressionism’ is oppressive. Through this symbolic representation, he disassociated the concept of gender as well as ridicule toward gender division by exposing the absurdity of it. Warhol became an artist to be free from high culture which represents visual culture and fine arts by putting up homosexuality which was a sub-culture in those days and communicating between commercial arts and fine arts freely. This distinction makes Warhol and his works important and suggests the way for understanding contemporary culture.