Pop Art

Pop Art was initially started in Britain but became more of a major art movement in America. It was at its peak during the 1950s and 1960s; however there are still modern artists that use this technique. Pop Art is short for Popular Art because it is based upon popular culture such as the media, advertisements, comic books, movies, and celebrities. Pop Art was considered to be a rebellion against the exclusive art world because it didn’t contain the seriousness of other works of art at the time and many famous works were imitations of everyday objects. Pop Artists seize ideas from common things that were never before thought of as art. They wanted to connect art and everyday life together by using subjects that were known to the public. However, Pop Artists struggled for public acceptance because many thought that Pop Art wasn’t real art – just illustrations and advertisements. But as time went on, Pop Art was accepted as a true form of art and many famous artists and works of art came from that era. The most well-known Pop Artists are Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, and Jasper Johns. Andy Warhol’s most famous pieces are his silk screens of Marilyn Monroe and his Campbell’s Soup cans. Roy Lichtenstein is famous for his comic strip designed art with written in “sound effects” while David Hockney is famous for his “swimming pool” paintings and Jasper Johns is for his flags and targets.

Some people consider Pop Art to be a counter-attack against Abstract Expressionism because there are human and animal figures and “hard-edge” methods used. It is also said to be related to an earlier French movement called Dada. Because of this relation, it can also be known as Neo-Dada. Pop Art arose during the flourishing post-World War II period. It isn’t recognized as a high-class movement, as it is mass produced and inexpensive, but contains all the sought after glamour.

Works Cited

Chilvers, Ian. HighBeam Encyclopedia. 2004. 26 October 2008 http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.aspx?id=1O2:Popart.

—. HighBeam Encyclopedia. 1999. 26 October 2008 http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.aspx?id=1O5:Popart.

Notable Biographies. Takashi Murakami Biography. 26 October 2008 http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Li-Ou/Murakami-Takashi.html.

Troughton, Rose. Get Pop Art. 26 October 2008 http://www.getpopart.com/pop-art.html.