The History Of Pop Art

Pop Art was a movement that started out in Britain during the 1950’s and ended at the beginning of the 1970’s. It was a form of art that challenged the traditional views of fine art by placing a new modern spin on things. Pop Art placed modern things and people from that time period into pieces of art that were considered non-traditional. Many artists used household items and celebrities in an abstract way to draw attention to their work. Many believe that in doing so, Pop Art helped to introduce art back into everyday American life. There were several artists that became well known through their work as artists during that time. However, many usually do not think of Richard Hamilton. He is said to be the first …show more content…
He often took his artistic subjects from mythology and from American history and folklore. In 1992, Lichtenstein created his own parody of Van Gogh 's “Bedroom in Arles” by giving the painting a more contemporary and modern feel. While Lichtenstein was known for many pieces of art, two of his most popular works of art are “Whaam!” and his highest selling painting is “Woman with Flowered Hat.” James Rosenquist was also a well know artist who started off painting billboards for a living. Although he enjoyed art, he never believed that by doing the same type of painting on a smaller canvas would make such an impact on Pop Art. He enjoyed painting images that became softly blurred and their literal quality was lost in the close-up orientation and the cropping of the image. Many say he was the first artist during this time to use this technique. Even though he was a well-known Pop Artist, he never saw himself that way. Rosenquist stated that,
“What united us [by which he meant other “Pop artists” such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Claes Oldenburg] you might say, was dread of the drip, the splash, the schmear, combined with an ironic attitude toward the banalities of American consumer culture. If anything, you might say we were anti-pop …show more content…
Unlike Worhol and Lichtenstein, he used more common objects such as bagels fans, and hamburgers for inspiration. Oldenburg created a series of presentations involving sound, movement, objects, and people. For some of his pieces Oldenburg created giant objects made of cloth stuffed with paper or rags. By taking such common objects and displaying them in such an usual context Oldenburg influence viewers to reassess their lives and the everyday world around them. Some would say that he felt that art should relate to the world around us. He enjoyed making a variety or art including drawing, painting, film, soft sculpture, and large scale