Ge Shen
Dec 10,2017
ENGL1010
Sara Austin
Pink Pop-Surrealism and Image Distortion Pop-surrealism is often viewed as 'lowbrow' art. It utilizes various subcultures, including “classic cartoons, 60's TV sitcoms...rock music, pulp art, soft porn, comic books, sci-fi [and]Japanese anime” (Essak 1), to comment upon or make fun of various socio-political issues or individuals. This art form is often “assigned circa 1994” (Essak 1), which is the year that prominent lowbrow artist Robert Williams established the Juxtapoz magazine, a popular bastion for pop-surrealism and lowbrow art. Although it's history extends back before the 1950s, it's legitimacy has often been questioned (Essak 1). This is because “lowbrow speaks...to the millions...who share a common cultural, symbolic language - albeit a "lower" or "middle" class, media-driven language” (Essak 2). Many …show more content…
He goes on to state that both styles are related in the way that the greater artistic community negatively reacted to the respective artistic movements. Pop-art was also criticized for its use of “flat bold colors” (Fox 4) because it often looked like “design than any recognizable art” (Fox 4). It focused on images that were more accessible and which allowed an 'in' for the viewer to gauge some semblance of meaning, whereas surrealism usually boxed the viewer out and gave the responsibility of interpretation to the viewer. Fox goes on to assert that surrealism and pop-art “can be seen as providing similar artistic catharsis by challenging artistic norms and creating a dialogue” (Fox 5), albeit in different ways. On the surface, it may seem like the two styles are not a match, but it is through the emotive process where the two
Dec 10,2017
ENGL1010
Sara Austin
Pink Pop-Surrealism and Image Distortion Pop-surrealism is often viewed as 'lowbrow' art. It utilizes various subcultures, including “classic cartoons, 60's TV sitcoms...rock music, pulp art, soft porn, comic books, sci-fi [and]Japanese anime” (Essak 1), to comment upon or make fun of various socio-political issues or individuals. This art form is often “assigned circa 1994” (Essak 1), which is the year that prominent lowbrow artist Robert Williams established the Juxtapoz magazine, a popular bastion for pop-surrealism and lowbrow art. Although it's history extends back before the 1950s, it's legitimacy has often been questioned (Essak 1). This is because “lowbrow speaks...to the millions...who share a common cultural, symbolic language - albeit a "lower" or "middle" class, media-driven language” (Essak 2). Many …show more content…
He goes on to state that both styles are related in the way that the greater artistic community negatively reacted to the respective artistic movements. Pop-art was also criticized for its use of “flat bold colors” (Fox 4) because it often looked like “design than any recognizable art” (Fox 4). It focused on images that were more accessible and which allowed an 'in' for the viewer to gauge some semblance of meaning, whereas surrealism usually boxed the viewer out and gave the responsibility of interpretation to the viewer. Fox goes on to assert that surrealism and pop-art “can be seen as providing similar artistic catharsis by challenging artistic norms and creating a dialogue” (Fox 5), albeit in different ways. On the surface, it may seem like the two styles are not a match, but it is through the emotive process where the two