Andy Warhol - Fluorescent — Andy Warhol - Fluorescent(DVD)

Andy Warhol - Fluorescent is a 2017 documentary about Pop Art legend, Andy Warhol directed by pop culture documentary maker Carla Duarte (Crazy for Madonna, Oh Dior!, and Inspiring Women) and produced by Miguel Somoza (Under the Lights: Maradona, Viva Elvis and Crazy for Madonna). This bare-bones DVD release comes from Dreamscape, an independent publisher and multimedia studio that is committed to producing a diverse range of audio and visual content that includes ebooks, films, documentaries, and TV shows. 

The documentary itself is a whistle-stop history of this creative force of nature. After a brief introduction that touches on Warhol’s childhood in Pennsylvania before swiftly moving on to his time in the spotlight as one of the world’s most celebrated and recognisable artists. Having developed a strong work ethic from his parents, Warhol became a prolific artist creating some of the most iconic art of the 20th century including his legendary Campbell’s soup can prints as well as images of some of the most prominent figures of the time including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Mick Jagger. Warhol, not satisfied with being a visual artist, then set up his studio, the Factory which would house a collection of different creative types under one roof including artists, filmmakers, writers, musicians, photographers, and actors. Warhol always envisioned the Factory to be a self-perpetuating concern that would never have to hire individuals from outside as everyone they needed was already within the walls of the Factory. 

The documentary takes an MTV-style format, with lots of photographs and a fast zippy narration from Mitch Cockman and blasts through his career touching upon a host of different aspects of his rise to prominence and success including his art and printmaking, his work with the Velvet Underground and his associations with other creatives including New York’s drag and gay community and many more besides. Sadly, the documentary is far too short to go into any real depth about Warhol’s many forays into the creative sphere, many of those he worked with are ignored or given only the briefest of mentions including the likes of Joe Dallesandro, Paul Morrisey, Nico, Lou Reed, and Debbie Harry. I also found it a bit of a missed opportunity not to seek out and interview those people who knew him best, to try and get a better understanding of the man.

If you know absolutely nothing about Andy Warhol, then this is probably an interesting, if slightly inaccurate at times, primer, however, if you are looking for something that will dig beneath the surface of the man and try to get to the heart of what he was trying to achieve during his lifetime, then you will probably be somewhat disappointed.