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Pop art is one of the most controversial and surprising contemporary art movements. It is the modern art movement that took place from the 1950s to the 1970s, and broke down all previous notions of the status of art and what it depicts. It was created in response to the artistic and cultural movements of the 50's. Instead of working to elevate the subject, pop art intentionally focuses on the mundane. Choosing to portray it how it is, pop art illustrates the common and non-interesting things in life. Pop art uses bright colors and familiar pop-culture images and icons to bring together an objective, mundane piece of art. Pop art artists even make their paintings so common that their goal is for the audience not to be able to tell it was them who made the piece of artwork. This style greatly differs from previous styles of art where artists stuck to their own individual style to differentiate their paintings from others.

(theartstory.org)

The video attached gives a short definition and explanation of what pop art is. It also shares some examples that show what pop art is all about, and what influenced this new art movement.

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"This is Tomorrow" exhibit in London. 1956. theartstory

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In 1952, artists began wondering what role modern day advancements play in art. Specifically, they wondered how modern culture, technology, and the "found object". The found object can be defined as any type of object the artist finds and then uses to make art, normally these are things that wouldn't usually be used in art. These three new ideas brought by advancement into the modern day, led to a gathering of artists in London who called themselves the independent group.

The Independent Group resided in Britain where the country was emerging from World War II. The Independent group and other citizens of Britain were skeptical and unsure what to think of the commercialist society developing in America. Despite the unsurety of Britain, they were excited by the American culture and so the group began looking into American imagery. They examined popular icons of pop culture like western movies, comics, science fiction, advertisements, rock and roll music, and cars. These ultimately ended up inspiring the next wave of art. This can be seen in the above exhibit, "This is Tomorrow", that was showcased in London. The Independent Group helped set the foundation for the beginnings of pop art and what it entailed. They helped break down the strict constraints that defined fine art up until the point, creating a new and completely different art movement that better encompassed the common life. (theartstory.org).

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Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? 1956. smarthistory.org

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Pop Artist Spotlight - Richard Hamilton 

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Pop Artist Spotlight - Richard Hamilton 

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Richard Hamilton, a member of the Independent Group, recognized the barriers created by the expectations of art at the time. He worked to break these down through his art using mass media imagery. At the beginning of pop art, many were skeptical of the new art form that was going against all the standards of art at the time. In response to uncertainty, Richard Hamilton wrote a letter to his friends that defined pop-art as, "Popular (designed for a mass audience), Transient (short-term solution), Expendable (easily forgotten), Low cost, Mass produced, Young (aimed at youth), Witty, Sexy, Gimmicky, Glamorous, Big business" (tate.org.uk). This definition perfectly encompasses what pop art is. Many art students at the time felt that the constraints of art prevented art from portraying things found in their life. Pop art changed that and Richard Hamilton was a key contributor in pushing the movement forward.

Richard Hamilton analyzed the mass media in the 1940s and 1950s in Britain and America. After his examination, he created the above art piece, Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? It showed what he surveyed as the post war culture in America and Britain. He effectively exalts the low cost, commonplace parts of society that everyone interacts with, while also criticizing the excess present in society (theartstory.org).

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Claes Oldenburg. Pastry Case, I. 1961-62. MoMA

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The Independence Group helped spurn the pop art movement in Britain, however, American artists too felt stuck within the constraints of high art. At the time of the emergence of pop art, a cultural revolution was happening as the vietnam war was happening, the civil rights movement was gaining steam, and women's liberation movement was gaining momentum. In the midst of all of this cultural change, New York art made a change to be inspired by the common, everyday items everyone encounters. Artists were straightforward in their work and used bold primary colors to create artwork that popped out at the audience. Additionally, they created multiples just like as if they were advertising products, which downplayed the hand and ability of the artist. Instead of high, majestic art full of a deeper story, pop art artists focused on the mundane everyday imagery. Pop artists brought these common elements together from popular culture, into new mediums and techniques to make new meaning. The sculpture by Claes Oldenburg above exemplifies the new focus on the everyday items as he recreated common food items people would see at their local diner or on their kitchen table. The inspiration from the everyday, setoff the new ground-breaking art movement of pop art. (moma.org)

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Roy Lichtenstein. Drowning Girl. 1963. Wikipedia

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Roy Lichtenstein was another popular pop art artist who frequently sampled from comic books to make his artwork. The famous work above, Drowning Girl, was created by Roy Lichtenstein after he pulled it from a romance comic book. Some thought he was copying from comic books as he made his paintings, but instead Lichtenstein would create a similarly looking creative re-imaging of the comic. He would change, add, or eliminate elements to teach a new meaning. For example, in the painting above, the comic originally said "I don't care if I get a cramp". She also was swimming next to a boat. However, by focusing in on her face and changing the words to "I don't care!", it completely changes the meaning from the romance comic that it originated form. In artworks like the one above, Lichtenstein changed pop art by creating art within the area between mass reproduction and high art. (theartstory.org) (moma.org)

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Andy Warhol took a new approach that transformed pop art. He focused on consumer culture and mass media, creating works that depicted celebrities, comic strips, and popular advertisements. Some of his earliest works depicted popular items like Coca Cola bottles or Campbell soup cans. This was a large shift from other art movements as Andy Warhol elevated low cost everyday items through his artwork. He continued to revolutionize pop art as he began switching from hand painting to screen printing. This went against any previous notion of art being authentic and unique. He turned his artwork into a consumer good that he expected could be bought and sold just like the actual Campbell's soup cans. Andy Warhol's works pushed the idea that art can be about anyone's life, even the average middle class citizen. Art became relatable and attainable for all who wanted to see. (theartstory.org).

The above painting depicts Andy Warhol's famous Campbell's Soup Cans. This piece of his art exemplifies his use of screen printing to create the exact same image over and over again. It in turn creates an effect that makes the audience feel like they are at the grocery store looking at the shelves. Like the soup cans in this art piece, Andy Warhol made many other artworks that consisted of repeated regular day images. (moma.org)

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Andy Warhol. Campbell’s Soup Cans. 1962 | MoMA

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Andy Warhol. Campbell’s Soup Cans. 1962. Acrylic with metallic enamel paint on canvas, 32 panels. Each canvas 20 x 16″ (50.8 x 40.6 cm). Overall installation with 3″ between each panel is 97″ high x 163″ wide. Partial gift of Irving Blum Additional funding provided by Nelson A. Rockefeller Bequest, gift of Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Fund, gift of Nina and Gordon Bunshaft, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, Philip Johnson Fund, Frances R. Keech Bequest, gift of Mrs. Bliss Parkinson, and Florence B. Wesley Bequest (all by exchange). 476.1996.1-32. © 2025 Andy Warhol Foundation / ARS, NY / TM Licensed by Campbell’s Soup Co. All rights reserved. Painting & Sculpture

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James Rosenquist. President Elect. 1960-61. James Rosenquist Studio

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James Rosenquist was fascinated by the new popularity that political and cultural figures held in mass media. He was amazed at the imagery of advertising and wanted to utilize that power in his work. This inspired him to create the above art piece, President Elect, which depicts President John F. Kennedy, a slice of cake, and half of a Chevrolet. By bringing in all of these images from advertisements, he created a new advertisement meaning suggesting that all three of the subjects are neatly prepared and packaged for the American people. To build on the influence that advertisement had on his work, Rosenquist would create artwork that would often cover entire walls. This billboard style artwork overwhelmed the audience with color and imagery. By focusing on advertising and popular culture icons like President John F. Kennedy, Rosenquist pushed the idea of pop art as a focus on common everyday things. (theartstory.org)

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Pop Art Artist Spotlight - Claes Oldenburg -The Pop Art Sculptor

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Pop Art Artist Spotlight - Claes Oldenburg -The Pop Art Sculptor

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Claes Oldenburg was an extremely influential artist of the pop art era. He was known for making pop art statues, highlighting the everyday items that we all encounter and see. He originally began in 1961 in a storefront he rented in New York City. He would create sculptures of everyday objects and sell them. He also charged a nominal fee for each piece, changing the concept of art to be more of a commodity. This revolutionized and broke down previous notions that high art had established. Throughout his career, Oldenburg continued to make sculptures of the common objects in life, but would change the scale of the object to surprise the viewers expectations. This can be seen in his above sculpture, Flying Pins. In this case, he supersizes the common game of bowling. This gives everyone a place in art, even the common folk who often weren't ever considered prestigious enough for art. By making statues of common things, he elevated the common person and brought pop art to sculpture. (theartstory.org)