Pop Art Movement

Introduction

• Pop Art is a significant art movement of the 20th century.
• Known for its inclusion and mass appeal, drawing from popular culture.
• Notable Pop artists: Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol.

Origins

• Started in London, 1952 by the Independent Group.
  • Included artists, writers, architects like Eduardo Paolozzi.
  • Aimed to challenge art world norms.
  • Focused on the relationship between popular culture and visual arts.

Eduardo Paolozzi

• Key figure in early Pop Art.
• Gave a presentation using American magazine images of advertising, comics.
• Created collages such as 'I was a rich man’s play thing' (1947).
  • Featured Coca Cola, WWII fighter plane, magazine cover.
  • Included the word ‘pop’ in his work.

American Pop Art

• Parallel development in the USA.

Roy Lichtenstein

• Inspired by comics and cartoons.
• 1960s works included screen-prints like Mickey Mouse and Popeye.
• 'In The Car' (1962) sourced from DC Comics' 'Girls Romances'.
  • Used mass culture images to depict contemporary America.

Andy Warhol

• Synonymous with Pop Art.
• Early 1960s: series of celebrity portraits (Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, Jackie Kennedy).
• Used photographic silkscreen printing.
• Repeated images as a celebration and critique of culture.

Neo Pop Artists

• Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst.
• Influenced by Pop Art.
• Celebrate banality, use mechanical processes, repetition.

Legacy of Pop Art

• Themes of repetition, daily objects, mass media continue.
• Influence seen in contemporary society, commercial designs.
• Question of success: art reclaimed by popular culture.
  • Pop Art's elements integrated back into popular culture.