Pop Art

Pop Art

of the 60’s & 70’s

By Todd DeRemigis

• Pop Art was an art movement that began during the 1950’s. It actually first originated in England, but became even larger once it crossed the Atlantic and gained popularity in New York City during the 1960’s.

• The Pop Art movement is said to have come about because the artists, “thought the Abstract Expressionists pretentious and overintense.” • Pop Art really started in the United Kingdom with work done by The Independent Group. They mostly derived inspiration from images of pop culture from the United States. • Since they were so much removed form the actual culture itself, its said they built upon a more “romanticized” view than that of their US counterparts. • That said, Pop Art became very much intertwined with the culture in UK during the 60’s.

• Once the movement made a transition to New York, a main artist at the forefront was Andy Warhol. • He helped bring the movement to dominance in the 1960’s, especially with his Marilyn Monroe works soon after her death.

• Simplified images • Often large scale • Designed for mass audiences • Low Cost • Mass-produced • Young, witty, and sexy • Subject matter taken from everyday life • Usually curvilnear • Bright colors

• Distinctive line thickness, and clean shapes • Clear images composed of basic forms • Blurred the gap between “low” and “high” art • Attempted to make the art look like a product of the current industry rather than a work of art. This actually made it difficult sometimes to distinguish what actually was intended for art rather than marketing.

• Pop Art drew influence from Abstract Expressionism and Dadaism • The movement was inspired by some artists such as Pablo Picasso • Pop Art went onto influence other art movements such as graffiti • Pop Art is still very much present today and is thriving in Japan with works by artists such as Takashi Murakami.

• Used the silkscreen process a lot, which could create reproductions of works • Worked hard to make his works not look handmade • Used many types of media besides silkscreen and painting, such as sculpture and filmmaking

• Emphasized the constraints of printing techniques in his works • Use pixilated dots and hatchings for shadows and shadings • Used flat colors • Used the frame of a comic strip frequently

• Zimmer, William. “ART; A Look at Pop Art, Los Angeles Style.(Westchester Weekly Desk).” The New York Times (April 29, 1990) • Nicolas, Pioch. “WebMuseum: Pop Art.” Ebooks@ibiblio. 14 Oct. 2002. 02 Mar. 2009 . • Nicolas, Pioch. “WebMuseum: Pop Art.” Ebooks@ibiblio. 14 Oct. 2002. 02 Mar. 2009 . • ”Pop Art. Art Words and Terms at Biddington’s.” Biddington’s Contemporary Art Gallery & Auctions. Ed. Margaret Morse. 02 Mar. 2009 .

• ”Pop Art, artist and art.” Artists and art...theartists.org. Ed. The-artist.org. 02 Mar. 2009 . • “ArtLex on Pop Art.” ArtLex Art Dictionary. Ed. Michael Delahunt. 02 Mar. 2009 . • “Pop Art.” The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2008. Credo Reference. 02 March 2009 . • “Pop Art.” The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers. London: Thames & Hudson, 2003. Credo Reference. 02 March 2009 .