Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Old Warhols", Michael Thomas McClure presents a provocative and evocative meditation on the work of Andy Warhol, exploring themes of art, mortality, and the uneasy intersection of innocence and depravity. The poem moves through a series of stark, sometimes jarring images that evoke the pop art icon’s unique blend of banal and grotesque. McClure’s admiration is tinged with a recognition of the darker undercurrents in Warhol’s work, creating a narrative that delves into the contradictory beauty and repulsion that define the human experience.

The poem begins with a declaration of affection: “HOW I LOVE TO LOOK AT OLD WARHOLS.” This opening line sets the tone for a piece that is as much homage as it is critical observation. The phrase captures the timelessness and impact of Warhol’s art while emphasizing its aging, a reminder of both the durability and the decay inherent in artistic legacies.

“The CREEPY SLEAZE of a field of Marilyn’s lips is as sweet as a dark blue electric chair” encapsulates McClure’s dual perspective on Warhol’s work. The juxtaposition of “creepy sleaze” with “sweet” implies a fascination with the grotesque that is somehow alluring. The electric chair, an image Warhol used in his "Death and Disaster" series, embodies the theme of public spectacle intertwined with morbidity. Here, the reference to Marilyn Monroe’s lips, which Warhol famously reproduced in his silkscreen series, reinforces the commodification of beauty and the blending of allure with death—a stark reminder of Monroe’s own tragic fate.

The line “I’m moved by the flush of aging yellow hair etched with patterns of dark shadows / in which I smell the stench of the subway” suggests a raw, visceral experience of decay and urban grit. The “flush of aging yellow hair” hints at both the passage of time and the artificial brightness that fades into something more sinister. The “stench of the subway” adds a sensory depth, evoking the underbelly of society and highlighting the intersection of glamour and decay that Warhol’s work often embodies.

McClure’s admiration for Warhol’s "Car Crash" series—“The ‘Car Crash’ amazes me again and again with its childlike delight in the obvious”—speaks to the artist’s ability to find art in the mundane and the tragic. This statement suggests that Warhol’s repetition and bold presentation of traumatic images tap into a primal, almost naive fascination with shock and spectacle. By framing it as “childlike delight,” McClure hints at the unsettling innocence behind humanity’s obsession with violence and death, captured unflinchingly by Warhol’s art.

“These doodled dollar signs are as close as one comes to pastoral innocence” further illustrates Warhol’s thematic engagement with commerce and superficiality. The dollar signs, a recurring motif in Warhol’s work, symbolize the commodification of culture and the pervasive influence of capitalism. McClure’s characterization of these symbols as “pastoral innocence” is deeply ironic, contrasting the expected purity of nature with the artificiality of consumerism. This juxtaposition challenges the reader to question what modern innocence truly means in a world dominated by the pursuit of wealth and spectacle.

The poem takes an even darker turn as McClure describes Mickey Mouse, a universal symbol of childhood and joy, “staring, with the big smile and lip-hanging delight of a five year old, at the face of someone getting a blowjob.” This unsettling image embodies the collision of innocence and corruption, using the iconic character to symbolize the erosion of purity in a hyper-sexualized, media-saturated world. It forces the reader to confront the perverse undercurrents that can hide beneath the surface of cultural icons.

The imagery of “green and blue patinas of the puddles of someone’s piss in a pool on the canvas” captures Warhol’s embrace of the abject, turning what might be considered vile into art. The “gentle and classic” description contrasts sharply with the subject matter, echoing Warhol’s ability to transform the mundane or taboo into something aesthetic and valuable. This duality highlights the tension between high art and low culture, a hallmark of Warhol’s legacy.

McClure concludes with the dissonant voices of modern society: “in high-pitched braying / with their eyes bulged out like giant pollywogs / as they watch some unspeakable act wrecking human flesh and belittling what it means to be A BEING OF CONSCIOUSNESS.” This final image amplifies the theme of voyeurism and desensitization, reflecting how mass media and spectacle can dehumanize and diminish the profoundness of existence. The “unspeakable act” points to a collective numbness to violence and suffering, a critique that resonates with Warhol’s ability to present death, fame, and consumerism as intertwined.

"Old Warhols" is a reflection on the paradoxes of art and existence as captured through the lens of Warhol’s oeuvre. McClure’s poem pays tribute to Warhol’s genius while confronting the reader with the discomfort that comes from recognizing the darker truths embedded in beauty and fame. Through his vivid, at times disturbing imagery, McClure invites us to see the world as Warhol did: in its entirety, with all its splendor and its shadows.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...