The Symbol That Changed the Art World: The Campbell Soup Can
In the soup aisle of the grocery store, hundreds of soup cans line the shelves, each different from the next. The only thing differentiating the red-striped cans from one another is the type of soup. While a Campbell soup can may seem like a last-minute meal option, the legacy of the soup can has grown disproportionately to its canned counterparts: it has become a symbol. This is all because of artist, renegade, and maverick, Andy Warhol.
A symbol can represent a million different things. Sometimes the meaning is implied–other times, the meaning is veiled under a shroud of mystery. But in the case of the infamous soup can, Warhol chose it as his subject because of the simplicity of its purpose. Warhol said himself, “You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.”
Warhol felt that the soup can sparked nostalgia in himself and the viewer, he liked monotony. Not only did he eat Campbell's soup everyday for lunch for 20 years, he also wore the same outfit every day. A man of habit, Warhol’s repetition in his style mirrored himself. According to writer Susan Delson writing for History.com, Warhol was criticized for the randomness of the soup collection, but with time, critics shed their superiority complexes and welcomed the new wave of modern art.
As defined by the National Gallery of Scotland, Pop art was an artistic movement that took hold of the U.S. and England from the 1950s-70s respectively. The term “pop” is used as a reference to popular culture. Inspired by daily items, people, things, and whatever else, pop art became a very popular subgenre of Modern Art. This style introduced commercial materials like screen printing into art practice. In Warhol's work, he stressed the belief that our daily existence and artistic expression should be intertwined with one another.
“Although I am not an artist myself, I’m able to appreciate how much he changed Pop art. I think he made art more accessible by developing a more fun art form, geared towards the masses. He made modern art real to people,” Molly Heddle 11, said.
Furthermore, Campbell’s decided to jump on the success of the soup can collection by creating a line of paper dresses which were popular at the time. The creations were titled ‘souper dress’ and were covered in a Campbell's soup can pattern. Today the iconic soup can has been printed on nearly everything.
In essence, the Campbell's soup can collection was the start of Andy Warhol's successful Pop art career. Today his work is featured in museums across the world, enrapturing audiences both young and old.