A Complete Guide to the History of Pop Art

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  The Pop art movement originated in the 1950’s in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The philosophy underpinning pop art was that it would take art out of the hands of the elite and make it accessible and enjoyable for normal people. It challenged the usual conventions of fine art by incorporating imagery from popular culture, making use of recognizable brands, products, and logos. Pop art pieces were often reminiscent of comic books, featuring bright, flat colors. The term pop art originally referred to the incorporation of themes from popular culture, but as time has gone on the term has also been seen to refer to the use of an art style which quite literally ‘pops’.

Andy Warhol

The Origins of Pop Art

Pop art is unusual in that it developed in two independent strands, one in the United Kingdom, and one in the United States, which later came together. The development of pop art in the USA was a response to the perceived elitism of contemporary fine art. By contrast, the development of pop-art in post-war Britain, while sharing the themes of irony and parody with the US version, came about as an almost academic study of the paradoxical nature of American popular culture. The ideas which provided inspiration to the early British pop artists were inspired by the outsider perspective on American popular culture. Pop Art is still popular today and is available for purchase on contemporary fine art sites for those that enjoy vibrant art.

The Independent Group

The Independent Group (TIG) was founded in 1952 in London. It is regarded as the progenitor to the pop art movement in the United Kingdom. The group consisted of an assortment of young, up-and-coming painters, sculptors, architects, and writers. They were mounting what they saw as a challenge to the prevailing orthodoxy of the art world.

The first meeting of TIG was the venue for a now legendary lecture given by the sculptor and artist, Eduardo Paolozzi. As part of his lecture, he showed a series of collages that he had put together, under the title of Bunk! These collages consisted of popular culture images that Paolozzi had collected during his time traveling through Paris. Among them were a number of images representing American popular culture, including an image of a revolver being fired, the cloud of smoke emitted contains the word ‘pop’, marking the first use of the word in conjunction with the burgeoning art form.

The United States

The origins of pop art in the United States are found in the 1950’s, but it was during the following decades that it began to really find its footing. In December 1962, the term ‘pop art’ entered into official usage as the designated term for the movement. This occurred at the ‘Symposium of Modern Art’, hosted by the Museum of Modern Art.

During the 60’s, many of the most prominent pop artists such as Roy Lichtenstein emerged and thus the pop art movement began in earnest, spreading around the globe and laying the foundations for all modern art since.

Pop art has proven to be one of the most enduring and recognizable art styles. It continues to be employed today and has inspired countless artists over the last half a century.

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The Sunday Showcase from Make it Pretty Monday

Christmas Tour Part One

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