Art History

1. Pop Art
Pop Art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in Britain (mid-1950s) and in the United States (late 1950s). It employs aspects of
mass culture, such as advertising, comic books and mundane cultural objects. It is widely interpreted as a reaction to the
then-dominant ideas of abstract expressionism, as well as an expansion upon them. Due to its utilization of found objects
and images, it is similar to Dada. Together with minimalism, pop art is considered to be art movements that precede post
modern art.
United Kingdom: The Independent Group
It is founded in London in 1952. This IG is regarded as the precursor to the pop art movement. They were a gathering of
young painters, sculptors, architects, writers and critics who were challenging prevailing modernist approaches t o culture
as well as traditional views of Fine Art. The group discussions centered on popular culture implications (mass advertising,
movies, product design, comic strips, sci-fi and technology). Lawrence Alloway as a leading member of IG was one of the
leading critics to defend the inclusion of the imagery found in mass culture in fine arts.
Eduardo Paolozzi was the
co-founder of IG. “I was a Rich Man’s
Playing” (1947) is considered the initial
standard bearer of “pop art”.
Telemath (1958), John Mchale
Three Flags, Jasper Johns
Rectroactivo II, 1964
Robert Rauschenberg
Roy Lichtenstein
United States
Although Pop Art began in the late 1950s, Pop Art in America was given its greatest
impetus during the 1960s. The term “Pop Art” was officially introduced during the
Occasion “Symposium on Pop Art” that organized by the Museum of Modern Art. Jasper
Johns and Robert Rauschenberg was the two important painters in the establishment of
America’s Pop Art. Paintings of Rauschenberg have relationships to the earlier work of
Kurt Schwitters and other Dadaists, his concern was with social issues of the moment. Roy
Lichtenstein, his work probably defines the basic premise of pop art better than any other
through parody. Lichtenstein would say of his work: Abstract Expressionists “put things
down on the canvas and responded to what they had done, to the color positions and
sizes. My style looks completely different, but the nature of putting down lines pretty
much is the same; mine don’t come out looking calligraphic, like Pollock’s or Kline’s”
Hamilton’s 1956 collage Just
what is it that makes today’s homes so
different, so appealing?
Key Characteristics of Pop Art
Michael Jackson (1984)
Andy Warhol
 Recognizable imagery, drawn from popular media and products
 Usually very bright colors
 Flat imagery influenced by comic books and newspaper photographs
 Images of celebrities or fictional characters in comic books, advertisements and fan magazines
 In sculpture, an innovative use of media