POP ART

What is Pop Art?

Pop art is a movement that emerged in the mid-20th

century in which artists incorporated commonplace
objects—comic strips, soup cans, newspapers, and
more—into their work.
A Brief History of Pop Art

Pop art began in the mid-1950s in Britain by a group of

painters, sculptors, writers, and critics called Independent
Group. It spread soon after into the United States. Much of
the movement’s roots were prompted by a cultural
revolution led by activists, thinkers, and artists who aimed
to restructure a social order ruled by conformity.
Pop Art Characteristics

Recognizable imagery: Pop art utilized images and icons

from popular media and products. This included commercial
items like soup cans, road signs, photos of celebrities,
newspapers, and other items popular in the commercial world
Bright colors: Pop art is characterized by vibrant, bright
colors. Primary colors red, yellow, and blue were prominent
pigments that appeared in many famous works, particularly
in Roy Lichtenstein’s body of work.

Irony and satire: Humor was one of the main components

of Pop art. Artists use the subject matter to make a statement
about current events, poke fun at fads, and challenge the
status quo.
Mixed media and collage: Pop artists often blended
materials and utilized a variety of different types of media.

Innovative techniques: Many Pop artists engaged in

printmaking processes, which enabled them to quickly
reproduce images in large quantities.
Pop Art Facts

The first work of Pop art was created by Scottish artist

Eduardo Paolozzi in 1952. It was a collage made from
magazines called I was a Rich Man’s Plaything.
Pop art was originally called Propaganda art.
Iconic works of Pop Art
Richard Hamilton, Just What Is It That Makes Today’s
Homes So Different, So Appealing?, 1959
 Drowning Girl depicts a young woman drowning in
Lichtenstein’s signature comic-strip style. Her face is
central to the piece, surrounded by water. It also
features a thought bubble with the phrase, “I DONT
CARE! I’D RATHER SINK — THAN CALL BRAD
FOR HELP!”
ANDY WARHOL (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987)
 Born Andrew Warhola, Andy Warhol is the best known and
most influential artist of the Pop Art movement to the extent
that he is known as the “Pope of Pop”. The non-painterly
style and commercial aspects of his paintings initially caused
offense as it affronted the technique and philosophy of
abstract expressionism, the then dominant style in the United
States.
MASTERPIECE: MARILYN DIPTYCH (1962)
ROY LICHTENSTEIN(October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997)
 Roy Lichtenstein initially worked in Cubism and Abstract
Expressionism before moving to Pop Art, the genre in
which he made his mark. The first time his work was
exhibited, he was called a copycat by many art critics as his
works closely resembled the originals. The Life magazine
went to the extent of publishing an article whose title asked
“Is He the Worst Artist in the U.S.?”
MASTERPIECE: WHAAM! (1963)