ARTH 448 Advanced Seminar in Art and Film: Andy Warhol and the Short Twentieth Century

• Instructor: Dr. Nicola Pezolet

This advanced undergraduate seminar explores the rich complexities and contradictions of Andy Warhol’s multifaceted career as a commercial illustrator, visual artist, photographer, socialite, magazine editor, film director, producer, television host, fashion model, entrepreneur, and archivist. We will examine how Warhol’s life and work intersect with the history of American capitalism, mass media, and spectacle culture, with particular attention to the period historian Eric Hobsbawm dubbed “the short twentieth century.” This turbulent era—shaped by the aftermath of World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Counter-Culture, and the rise of the Information Age—serves as the active backdrop for our weekly discussions. Topics will include Warhol’s Depression-era upbringing in Pittsburgh; his entry into the booming advertising world of 1950s New York; his deep involvement with the counter-culture and emergence as a central figure in Pop Art during the 1960s; and his fascination with celebrity, nightlife, and mass media in the 1970s and 1980s. Designed primarily for students pursuing a dual major in Art History and Film Studies, the seminar pays special attention to Warhol’s ongoing engagement with Hollywood, underground cinema, and contemporary moving-image practices. We will also critically evaluate the theories and methodologies that have shaped “Warhol studies” since the 1980s, addressing key themes such as consumerism, gender identity, religious influences, and the blurring of boundaries between “high” and “low” culture.