25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy – Andy Warhol
Feline FriendsAndy Warhol loved cats, reputedly keeping as many as twenty-five in the Lexington Avenue apartment he shared with his mother. The book comprises sixteen lithographs of cats, each named Sam, and a seventeenth simply captioned ‘One Blue Pussy’. Warhol’s affectionate studies are full of whimsy, depicting cats in various postures of play and repose. It is not entirely clear, however, if we are looking at sixteen different cats, or sixteen drawings of one cat.
Colouring Book25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy was made during the 1950s when Warhol was still working as a commercial illustrator and self-published books and portfolios, which he then sent to prospective clients as samples of his work. The book is lithographically printed, a method which relies on the natural antipathy of grease and water. Each plate was then vibrantly hand-coloured with bright watercolours by friends at ‘colouring parties’ hosted by the artist. Warhol continued this practice of using friends in the realisation of a work in the 1960’s at the ‘The Factory’, Warhol’s New York studio from1962 to 1968.
The Man Behind The Art25 Cats and One Blue Pussy is an interesting pre-cursor to his output as a Pop artist. In many ways the works from this period, with their more personal subject matter, reveal more about him than the detached persona associated with his pop years. In the early 1960’s Warhol produced his first canvases featuring Batman, Dick Tracy and Coca-Cola, signalling the change to media derived images. His working methods, however, largely remained the same, with the use of printmaking methods to make his art and the involvement of friends and assistants in the production of the works.
Fuente: http://www.christies.com/features/2009-September-London-Andy-Warhol-25-Cats-Named-Sa-102-1.aspx
Feline FriendsAndy Warhol loved cats, reputedly keeping as many as twenty-five in the Lexington Avenue apartment he shared with his mother. The book comprises sixteen lithographs of cats, each named Sam, and a seventeenth simply captioned ‘One Blue Pussy’. Warhol’s affectionate studies are full of whimsy, depicting cats in various postures of play and repose. It is not entirely clear, however, if we are looking at sixteen different cats, or sixteen drawings of one cat.
Colouring Book25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy was made during the 1950s when Warhol was still working as a commercial illustrator and self-published books and portfolios, which he then sent to prospective clients as samples of his work. The book is lithographically printed, a method which relies on the natural antipathy of grease and water. Each plate was then vibrantly hand-coloured with bright watercolours by friends at ‘colouring parties’ hosted by the artist. Warhol continued this practice of using friends in the realisation of a work in the 1960’s at the ‘The Factory’, Warhol’s New York studio from1962 to 1968.
The Man Behind The Art25 Cats and One Blue Pussy is an interesting pre-cursor to his output as a Pop artist. In many ways the works from this period, with their more personal subject matter, reveal more about him than the detached persona associated with his pop years. In the early 1960’s Warhol produced his first canvases featuring Batman, Dick Tracy and Coca-Cola, signalling the change to media derived images. His working methods, however, largely remained the same, with the use of printmaking methods to make his art and the involvement of friends and assistants in the production of the works.
Fuente: http://www.christies.com/features/2009-September-London-Andy-Warhol-25-Cats-Named-Sa-102-1.aspx
In 1954, Andy Warhol, a renowned cat lover, published a series of 25 cat portraits in book form. Printed on limited edition, hand-colored Arches watermarked paper, the prints were privately printed and made as a Christmas keepsake. He named his book 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy. He had originally meant it to read "... Named Sam" but his mother, who did the lettering, left off the "d" and Warhol thought that the final version was fine.
In the 1950s, Warhol bought a brownstone where he and his mother resided. And, although they had owned cats for twenty years, his series of cat portraits were not based on the cats he lived with and knew. Instead, they were based on the photographs of New York Cat Photographer Walter Chandoha.
In the 1970s, Warhol 's interest with cats faded and his interest in dogs rose. His boyfriend decided they should get a short-haired Dachshund puppy. They named the dog "Archie". Warhol became so enthralled with Archie that he became his alter ego. As he held Archie during interviews, when Warhol did not want to answer a particular question, he would simply deflect the questions to Archie. Warhol took the dog everywhere - to his studio, to art openings, to dinner, to photo shoots, and to London when his work took him there.
When Archie was almost three, another Dachshund came into the picture. This dog, they called "Amos". The three of them got along famously. Amos and Archie would run around the townhouse barking, chasing and playing with one another while providing constant entertainment for Warhol. All was well, except now Archie would stay at home with his newfound friend Amos instead of gallivanting the city with Warhol.
In 1976, the art collector Peter Brant commissioned Andy Warhol to paint his Cocker Spaniel named Ginger. Andy made two paintings of Ginger, as well as drawings. Peter Brant liked these so much that he thought Warhol should do a whole series of cat and dog drawings. Andy liked the idea too. It would open up a new area of commission portraits and would give him a chance to use Archie and Amos in his work. All he lacked was a cat that would fit the modeling mold.
Warhol liked to work from photographs. He had a difficult time staging his pets and having them remain still. He decided to use stuffed animals for his first cat and dog photos. Vincent Fremont at Artnet called the finished paintings of these stuffed creatures "spooky and macabre". The paintings; however, that Warhol completed from photographs of cats and dogs are said to be vibrant and infused with personality.
After some time he began dabbling in other arts, including underground films that explored the shock value of nudity, greed, and sexuality. In 1976, after his hiatus from regular, mainstream art pursuits, Peter Brant arranged for Warhol's dog and cat series to be shown in New York and in London.
After Warhol's period of drawing and painting cats and dogs, he started on artistic renditions for Campbell soup cans and his focus on pop-culture as seen in his works centered around Marilyn Monroe. After his mother's death, Warhol became more distant from the public's eye. Warhol left his diaries behind that were later published into a book. While many say his entries are "mundane", those who study his art find that they leave a history - a post-modern history much reflective of his beliefs, ties to, and a life dedicated to explorative arts.
25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy is a privately printed, limited edition artist's book by the american artist Andy Warhol.
It was printed in 1954 by Seymour Berlin with Charles Lisanby credited as the author, as he suggested the title, yet there is no text in the book. The calligraphy for the book was done by Julia Warhola, Warhol's mother.
The lithographs were produced on Arches brand watermarked paper using Warhol's blotted line technique. The original edition was limited to 190 numbered copies (although there may have been under 150 produced). Each original was hand colored, using Dr. Martin's ink washes. Most of them were given by Warhol as gifts to clients and friends.
Warhol's mother left the letter "d" off of the word "Name" in the title and Warhol kept the error in, as he liked the random imperfections which appeared in his creations resulting from the techniques he used. Both Warhol and his mother had a passion for cats and they were all named Sam except for one called Hester. They had so many cats that friends remember them always giving away kittens.
25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy actually only contains 16 cats named Sam followed by one cat in blue titled One Blue Pussy.
Copy #4, inscribed "Jerry" on the front cover, was given to Geraldine Stutz, who at the time was with I. Miller Shoes. She later became president of Henri Bendel and later while head of Panache Press an imprint of Random House she used this copy for a facsimile edition printing in 1987.[1] Her estate consigned the original limited edition to Doyle New York where it sold in May 2006 for US $35,000.[2]
Copy #18, inscribed "Misters de evia, denning" was given to Edgar de Evia and Robert Denning on one of Warhol's visits to their home in the Rhinelander Mansion. De Evia was at this time an established photographer and Denning would go on to become an interior designer and partner in Denning & Fourcade. Warhol whimsically put an "x" through the copy number and wrote "69" above for his gay hosts.
Some of the copies were given as Christmas "keepsake" books. These were in the peak of popularity in the 1950s and a number of prominent American families would have a book privately printed to give to their friends. Some families known to follow this practice were the Vanderbilts, Harrimans, Copleys, Altschuls and others.
Three other self-published books by Warhol followed this first title:
Gold Book
Wild Rasberries
Holy Cats
Fuente: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_Cats_Name_Sam_and_One_Blue_Pussy
As a child, Andy Warhol enjoyed drawing immensely. He drew many portraits of his friends and family. Unfortunately there are only a few works known from this period prior to his starting college.
In 1945, Andy graduated Schenley High School at the young age of sixteen. He started his studies at Carnegie Tech the following September. He was one of the youngest in his class since many of his fellow classmates were returning war veterans attending college on the GI Bill. It wasn't long before his drawing abilities became known amongst his peers.
There exists a small group of drawings from his college days. Many of these are at The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. They include some animal studies that he had done at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Others are a series of sketches he had done during the summer of 1946. He helped his oldest brother, Paul, huckster fruit and vegetables from a truck in the local neighborhood. During breaks he sketched scenes of the customers. From these drawings he was awarded a small scholarship for his next year at college.
As for paintings, there are about 14 known works. Ten of these are owned by members of the Paul Warhola family. Paul had recognized that these paintings possessed a very special quality. He saved them from being thrown out in 1949, when Andy moved to New York.
Andy’s primary ambition while at Carnegie Tech was to become a fine artist and possibly teach art like some of his professors. Instead, the opportunity came up to leave Pittsburgh and pursue art in New York City with Philip Pearlstein. He immediately started into the field of illustration. His aspirations in becoming a fine artist were postponed since the illustration work earned him a very good income. He had an endless flow of work that gained him much recognition throughout the 1950's.
Fuente: http://www.warhola.com/earlyart.html
Andy Warhol's Cats & Dogs by: Melanie Light
In 1954, Andy Warhol, a renowned cat lover, published a series of 25 cat portraits in book form. Printed on limited edition, hand-colored Arches watermarked paper, the prints were privately printed and made as a Christmas keepsake. He named his book 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy. He had originally meant it to read "... Named Sam" but his mother, who did the lettering, left off the "d" and Warhol thought that the final version was fine. In the 1950s, Warhol bought a brownstone where he and his mother resided. And, although they had owned cats for twenty years, his series of cat portraits were not based on the cats he lived with and knew. Instead, they were based on the photographs of New York Cat Photographer Walter Chandoha. In the 1970s, Warhol 's interest with cats faded and his interest in dogs rose. His boyfriend decided they should get a short-haired Dachshund puppy. They named the dog "Archie". Warhol became so enthralled with Archie that he became his alter ego. As he held Archie during interviews, when Warhol did not want to answer a particular question, he would simply deflect the questions to Archie. Warhol took the dog everywhere - to his studio, to art openings, to dinner, to photo shoots, and to London when his work took him there. When Archie was almost three, another Dachshund came into the picture. This dog, they called "Amos". The three of them got along famously. Amos and Archie would run around the townhouse barking, chasing and playing with one another while providing constant entertainment for Warhol. All was well, except now Archie would stay at home with his newfound friend Amos instead of gallivanting the city with Warhol. In 1976, the art collector Peter Brant commissioned Andy Warhol to paint his Cocker Spaniel named Ginger. Andy made two paintings of Ginger, as well as drawings. Peter Brant liked these so much that he thought Warhol should do a whole series of cat and dog drawings. Andy liked the idea too. It would open up a new area of commission portraits and would give him a chance to use Archie and Amos in his work. All he lacked was a cat that would fit the modeling mold. Warhol liked to work from photographs. He had a difficult time staging his pets and having them remain still. He decided to use stuffed animals for his first cat and dog photos. Vincent Fremont at Artnet called the finished paintings of these stuffed creatures "spooky and macabre". The paintings; however, that Warhol completed from photographs of cats and dogs are said to be vibrant and infused with personality. After some time he began dabbling in other arts, including underground films that explored the shock value of nudity, greed, and sexuality. In 1976, after his hiatus from regular, mainstream art pursuits, Peter Brant arranged for Warhol's dog and cat series to be shown in New York and in London. After Warhol's period of drawing and painting cats and dogs, he started on artistic renditions for Campbell soup cans and his focus on pop-culture as seen in his works centered around Marilyn Monroe. After his mother's death, Warhol became more distant from the public's eye. Warhol left his diaries behind that were later published into a book. While many say his entries are "mundane", those who study his art find that they leave a history - a post-modern history much reflective of his beliefs, ties to, and a life dedicated to explorative arts.
In 1954, Andy Warhol, a renowned cat lover, published a series of 25 cat portraits in book form. Printed on limited edition, hand-colored Arches watermarked paper, the prints were privately printed and made as a Christmas keepsake. He named his book 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy. He had originally meant it to read "... Named Sam" but his mother, who did the lettering, left off the "d" and Warhol thought that the final version was fine. In the 1950s, Warhol bought a brownstone where he and his mother resided. And, although they had owned cats for twenty years, his series of cat portraits were not based on the cats he lived with and knew. Instead, they were based on the photographs of New York Cat Photographer Walter Chandoha. In the 1970s, Warhol 's interest with cats faded and his interest in dogs rose. His boyfriend decided they should get a short-haired Dachshund puppy. They named the dog "Archie". Warhol became so enthralled with Archie that he became his alter ego. As he held Archie during interviews, when Warhol did not want to answer a particular question, he would simply deflect the questions to Archie. Warhol took the dog everywhere - to his studio, to art openings, to dinner, to photo shoots, and to London when his work took him there. When Archie was almost three, another Dachshund came into the picture. This dog, they called "Amos". The three of them got along famously. Amos and Archie would run around the townhouse barking, chasing and playing with one another while providing constant entertainment for Warhol. All was well, except now Archie would stay at home with his newfound friend Amos instead of gallivanting the city with Warhol. In 1976, the art collector Peter Brant commissioned Andy Warhol to paint his Cocker Spaniel named Ginger. Andy made two paintings of Ginger, as well as drawings. Peter Brant liked these so much that he thought Warhol should do a whole series of cat and dog drawings. Andy liked the idea too. It would open up a new area of commission portraits and would give him a chance to use Archie and Amos in his work. All he lacked was a cat that would fit the modeling mold. Warhol liked to work from photographs. He had a difficult time staging his pets and having them remain still. He decided to use stuffed animals for his first cat and dog photos. Vincent Fremont at Artnet called the finished paintings of these stuffed creatures "spooky and macabre". The paintings; however, that Warhol completed from photographs of cats and dogs are said to be vibrant and infused with personality. After some time he began dabbling in other arts, including underground films that explored the shock value of nudity, greed, and sexuality. In 1976, after his hiatus from regular, mainstream art pursuits, Peter Brant arranged for Warhol's dog and cat series to be shown in New York and in London. After Warhol's period of drawing and painting cats and dogs, he started on artistic renditions for Campbell soup cans and his focus on pop-culture as seen in his works centered around Marilyn Monroe. After his mother's death, Warhol became more distant from the public's eye. Warhol left his diaries behind that were later published into a book. While many say his entries are "mundane", those who study his art find that they leave a history - a post-modern history much reflective of his beliefs, ties to, and a life dedicated to explorative arts.
Fuente : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/pets_and_animals/article_912.shtm
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