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According to the Tate Organization, Andy Warhol is famous for his bright, colourful paintings and prints of different subjects like Marilyn Monroe and Mohammed Ali, to products used daily, such as cans of soup and Brillo pads. Then, his popular works are regularly included in marquee evening sales alongside originals, portraying their demand and significant value.
If Andy Warhol pop art inspires you, and now you are considering adding his art in the form of neon signs or neon lights within your four walls, then you have arrived at the perfect blog. We will discuss Andy Warhol art pieces, why neon signs fit the artist’s vision, and where to get custom neon signs.
Andy Warhol 101: The Pop Art Pioneer
Early Life and Influences
In 1928, Andy Warhol was born as Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh to working-class Slovakian immigrants. His tender years carried spells of illnesses, during which his mother motivated him to pursue his artistic side. Then, he went ahead to study commercial art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and graduated in 1949. The commercial illustration played a vital role in his later Pop Art aesthetic.
Commercial Success and Change to Fine Art
He moved to New York City and became a highly successful commercial artist in the 1960s. Andy Warhol art was famous for his innovative advertising illustrations, as he created pieces for Tiffany & Co.
The Pop Art Revolution and "The Factory"
In 1962, Warhol’s exhibitions, where he displayed Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe’s portraits, grabbed attention, positioning Andy as a leader in the Pop Art movement. Later on, he established his studio “ The Factory” in New York, which became an iconic hub for other creative professionals and counter-culture figures.
Exploration of Diverse Media
Besides painting and making prints, Warhol amazed audiences through his numerous films like “Chelsea Girls” and “Sleep”. He tried his luck in the music industry with The Velvet Underground.
Iconic Masterpieces
Campbell's Soup Cans (1962)
This was a series of 32 canvases, where each depicted Campbell’s soup different flavours. The masterpiece was viewed as a groundbreaker of Pop Art. It presented mass-produced commercial imagery as fine art, and Warhol challenged the tradition of artistic subject matter.
Marilyn Diptych (1962)
It was created after Marilyn Monroe’s death. Print fifty images of the legendary actress. He used a contrast of vibrant color and fading black and white images, exploring themes of celebrity and mass reproduction of images.
Why Neon Sign Fits Warhol’s Vision?
Alignment with Mass Culture
Neon signs are found in advertising and commercial spaces like eateries or dessert spots, and the concept echoes Warhol’s amusement with mass-produced imagery and daily objects. His Pop Art adapted the visual language of consumerism, on which neon signs perfectly fit, making it vibrant, accessible, and an aesthetic.
Emphasis on Repetition and Boldness
If you have a closer look at Warhol’s signature pieces, you will notice that there is repetition and a splash of saturated shades. Neon signs offer bold, captivating illumination, and even carry the potential of being replicated in series, matching with his thematic techniques of mass production.
Blurring Art and Commerce
Andy Warhol art deliberately blurred the lines between “high” and “low” art. Here, neon signs, although traditionally used commercially, can mirror his artwork too. How? The solution is to use the signs in an artistic manner, challenging mainstream boundaries of art, a central belief of what Warhol stood for. Therefore, neon signs perfectly fit his artistic vision.
Andy Warhol-Inspired Pop Neon Art Sign Ideas
Campbell's Soup Cans (1962)
Concept
Copy the iconic, grid-like layout of Warhol’s soup cans into a visually appealing neon sign display.
How To Create?
Imagine a rectangular grid of Campbell’s soup cans in the form of miniature neon sign outlines. Each of them can be rendered in a single, vibrant hue, displaying a particular soup flavour. For instance, red for tomato, or yellow for chicken noodle. In this way, each outline could be white with the name of the flavour in neon sign color beneath it. At the end, you will see a glowing, three-dimensional portrayal of Warhol’s work, putting stress on uniformity and repetition in mass-produced consumer goods.
You can consider adding a light flickering effect to the overall grid to show the variations. For a more catchy piece, try creating individual neon sign cans that can be arranged, opening the ground for a tailored display of Warhol’s approach.
Marilyn Monroe (1962-1964)
Concept
Use the iconic print of Marilyn Monroe through the bold lines and colors of neon signs.
How To Create?
Take one striking image of Marilyn, like her popular smile or any close-up shots. Supply the outline of her features in a continuous neon sign tube, which is bright too. For her hair, you can go for a dazzling yellow or platinum white neon, while making her lips pop out in rich pink or red. Once colors are decided, play around with layering multiple colours of neon signs to form shadow and depth, imitating the silkscreen technique that the artist originally used.
Besides, you can create a diptych or triptych in neon signs, where each panel can feature the star in multiple bold shades. In this case, proceed with adjusting a subtle animation, such as gentle flickering in her eyes or an innovative outline to breathe life into her picture.
Flowers (1964)
Concept
Infuse the essence of bold and floral motifs into vibrant neon sign sculptures.
How To Create?
Concentrate on either a small cluster or one of Warhol’s painted flowers. Dress the petals in bright, contrasting neon sign colors. For instance, a shocking pink in front of a bright orange, a sunny yellow with a blue centre. The simple outlines of the petals set the stage for neon tubing. Hence, you can create individual flower units in neon sign shades that you can combine together to form a larger installation, permitting a flexible display. On top of that, you can use a variety of thick neon tubes to create variation in line weight and visual interest. The neon sign flowers can be backlighted with soft tones to boost the glowing effect and create a cool ambiance.
Brillo Boxes (1964)
Concept
Bring back the iconic Brillo sopa pad boxes in neon sign style.
How To Create?
Build three-dimensional box shapes using neon sign strip to outline the edges. The main “Brillo” logo and the bold blue are red lettering can be recreated using different shades of neon signs. Now imagine these glowing Brillo boxes, echoing the supermarket display that Andy Warhol was famous for. This concept directly defies the limits between fine art and commercial packaging in a visually magnetizing manner. Invest time in exploring different sizes to add an interesting visual dynamic to the image.
Dollar Sign (1981)
Concept
Take his Dollar Sign to the neon sign level.
How To Create?
Grab the dollar sign and merge it into a neon sign sculpture. Furnish the symbol with a bright, attention-grabbing shade like electric blue or vibrant green. Then, mount it against a contrasting background to pop it. You are free to explore variations in terms of neon sign tubing to produce a diverse range of stylistic interpretations of the dollar sign, and if you want a complicated design, then add a hint of animation, drawing everyone’s attention.
Banana (1967)
Concept
Let's help you bring Velvet Underground’s album cover banana to life in a glowing neon sign.
How To Create?
The peel of the banana could be an individual layer of a neon sign in a variation of yellow or maybe somewhat pinkish, You can add a peeling effect using strategically positioned breaks or segments of neon signs. After that, place the banana on a black or dark background to further modify its rich yellow glow. Want to grab more eyes? Try creating an oversized banana, increasing its Pop Art sense. The clean lines of this fruit will perfectly fit into the neon version, leaving you with a fun and instantly identifiable artwork. You never know, you may end up inspiring your friends and relatives to create the same banana.
Get Custom Neon Sign Art By Lamomo
Which vendor can help you achieve your custom neon signs goals? The answer is none other than Lamomo. The platform has a team of experts who leave no stone unturned in understanding the kind of neon sign you want. Be it a custom word art piece, a neon mode of your logo, or just a replica of your favourite theme, nothing is impossible for them. The results are bound to leave you stunned.
From Concept to Radiant Display
It all starts from your vision. You are allowed to share your ideas, sketches, and inspirations with their team. Their skilled craftsmen will help you with the neon sign symbol on its design, font selection, size, and colors you want to see.
Quality Craftsmanship and Materials
Lamomo takes immense pride in using premium-quality neon sign tubing and long-lasting backings, and an artwork that will leave you amazed. Their experienced technicians can transform a lifeless design into a shining centre of attraction.
Conclusion
This blog has provided you with several Andy Warhol-inspired ideas, so you won’t experience any issues in selecting a design. Further, for neon signs, you can get “Custom Neon Signs with Lamomoneion” and see the magic.
