Pop Art

Pop Art was actually born in Britain around the mid 1950s. It was created by several young artists, who were members of the Independent Group formed in the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. Pop Art appreciated the popular culture (materialistic) trends of that era. Pop Art was the energy of young people born after the Second World War. It rebelled against abstract art and celebrated being the United Generation of Shopping.

The key characteristics of Pop Art are: easily recognisable image, very bright colours, flat images used in comic books and newspapers, images of celebrities or comic book characters.

Bauhaus Stairway: Large Version by Roy Lichtenstein, 1989

Bell, C. (2005). Public Murals. Available: http://www.lichtensteinfoundation.org/frames.htm. Last accessed 20th January 2014.

Pop Art coincided with the consumer boom of the 1950s and 1960s. It coincided also with the growth of pop music (Elvis, Beatles). It was young and fun. Once Pop Art made it over to the United States, it grew phenomenally, making it essentially an American movement. Artists like Andy Warhol, picking it up and producing timeless pieces. He would take images of celebrities or consumer products and turn them from banality into something more interesting. He was against any form of skill or craftsmanship to show his artistic personality.

Turquoise Marilyn by Andy Warhol 1964

Valbuena, C. (no date). Andy Warhol Turns 84 Years-old Today – Happy Birthday Andy. Available: http://artsnapper.com/andy-warhol-84-years-old/. Last accessed 20th January 2014.

Pop Art was based on the idea of mass-media, mass-production and mass-culture. It was strongly influenced by the Dada movement ideas.