A guide to POP ART

Art Gallery of NSW

9 Dec 201402:34

Summary

TLDRPop art emerged in the post-war economic boom, reflecting the optimism and consumer culture of the time. Celebrities and everyday items like soup cans became subjects of this vibrant, graphic movement. Pioneers like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtstein transformed popular culture into high art, challenging traditional art norms. Originating in the UK and the US, pop art spread globally, influencing artists worldwide. Though its peak in the 1960s was brief, pop art's legacy endures, integrating into the very fabric of popular culture.

Takeaways

🌟 The post-war economic boom and optimism led to a surge in consumer culture, which was reflected in the art of the time.
🛒 Supermarkets were filled with consumer products, and advertising influenced people's buying habits through glossy magazines.
🎥 The rise of movie stars and celebrity culture was a significant influence on the emergence of pop art.
🏙️ Pop art was characterized by its focus on everyday subjects such as celebrities, comics, and consumer products, with a flat, colorful, and graphic style.
🤔 Initially, critics were skeptical about the artistic value of pop art, questioning how everyday items could be considered art.
🇬🇧 In the UK, artists like Richard Hamilton and Peter Blake were pioneers in incorporating pop culture into their work, often using materials from American magazines.
🇺🇸 Across the Atlantic, pop art in the United States reacted against abstract expressionism, with artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns using symbols like flags and targets in their work.
👑 Andy Warhol became a prominent figure in pop art, known for his screen prints and being dubbed the 'King of Pop'.
🎨 Other artists like Roy Lichtstein transformed comic books into high art, and Claes Oldenburg made ordinary objects like toilets into art pieces.
🦘 In Australia, pop art started as a response to the conservative art scene, with the Anandale Imitation Realists and later artists like Martin Sharp and Brett Whiteley embracing pop culture in their work.
🔄 By the end of the 1960s, the peak of pop art had passed, but its influence continued to shape art and culture, with movements like popism emerging in Australia, which drew from both past and present pop culture.

Q & A

What was the cultural and economic backdrop of the period when pop art emerged?
-Pop art emerged during a time of optimism and post-war economic boom, characterized by a consumer-driven society with advertising and glossy magazines influencing people's purchasing decisions.
What role did movie stars play in the development of pop art?
-Movie stars filled the silver screen and contributed to the rise of celebrity culture, which in turn became a subject matter for pop art, reflecting the popular culture of the time.
What were the typical subjects of pop art?
-The subjects of pop art included celebrities, comic books, everyday items like cans and condiments, and popular cuisine, all depicted in a flat, colorful, and graphic style.
How did pop art differ from abstract expressionism?
-Pop art was a reaction to the introverted nature of abstract expressionism, focusing on the world people actually lived in, with artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns filling their canvases with flags, targets, and tires.
Who were some of the key figures in the development of pop art in the UK?
-In the UK, Richard Hamilton was among the first to reference pop culture using cutouts from American magazines, followed by artists like Peter Blake and David Hockney.
What was Andy Warhol's contribution to pop art?
-Andy Warhol burst onto the pop art scene with his screen prints, becoming known as the king of pop art and popularizing the idea that everything could be considered art.
How did pop art manifest in Australia?
-In Australia, pop art started as a reaction to the conservative state of Australian art, with the Anandale Imitation Realists adding odds and ends to their canvases in defiance, and later embracing American and British pop culture influences.
What is the significance of Claes Oldenburg in pop art?
-Claes Oldenburg was known for turning everyday objects, such as toilets, into art pieces, contributing to the pop art movement's exploration of the mundane and everyday.
What was the term used to describe the post-pop art movement in Australia?
-The term 'popism' was used to describe the post-pop art movement in Australia, which mined past and present pop culture and even incorporated appropriation of past works.
How has the legacy of pop art evolved since its heyday in the 1960s?
-The legacy of pop art has continued to influence contemporary art and culture, with its defining characteristics and themes remaining recognizable and relevant in the 21st century.
What is the relationship between pop art and popular culture today?
-Pop art is not only a reflection of popular culture but has become an integral part of it, continuing to influence and be influenced by the cultural zeitgeist.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Birth of Pop Art in a Prosperous Era

The script introduces the emergence of pop art during a period of post-war optimism and economic prosperity. Supermarkets were brimming with consumer products, and advertising was omnipresent, influencing people's purchasing decisions through glossy magazines. The script highlights the rise of celebrity culture, with movie stars dominating the silver screen, and the youth's quest for freedom. Pop art, with its subjects ranging from celebrities and comic books to everyday items like cans and condiments, was characterized by its flat, colorful, and graphic style. It was both commercial and a critique of the consumerist society, with artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtstein elevating everyday objects to art forms. The paragraph also mentions the skepticism of critics towards this new art form.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Optimism

Optimism in the video script refers to the positive and hopeful outlook that characterized the post-war period. It is a key concept that sets the stage for the economic boom and cultural shifts discussed in the video, illustrating the general mood of the time which allowed for the flourishing of consumerism and popular culture.

💡Economic Boom

The term 'Economic Boom' describes a period of rapid economic growth and prosperity, often marked by increased consumer spending and business activity. In the context of the video, it highlights the post-war era's affluence that fueled the consumer-driven society and the rise of supermarkets filled with products.

💡Consumer Products

Consumer products are goods and services that are marketed for everyday use by the general public. The video script mentions aisles filled with such products, emphasizing the abundance and variety available to consumers during the economic boom, which contributed to the rise of consumer culture.

💡Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience to take some action, typically to buy a product or service. The script discusses how advertising played a significant role in shaping consumer desires and choices, reflecting the commercial aspect of the pop art movement.

💡Glossy Magazines

Glossy magazines are high-quality publications with a shiny finish, often associated with fashion, lifestyle, and consumer trends. In the video, they are depicted as influential tools that both informed and shaped the public's tastes and purchasing decisions during the era of consumerism.

💡Celebrity Culture

Celebrity culture refers to the widespread adoration and interest in the lives of famous individuals. The script mentions movie stars filling the Silver Screen, indicating the rise of celebrities as cultural icons and their influence on popular culture, which became a central theme in pop art.

💡Pop Art

Pop Art is an art movement that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, characterized by its use of imagery from popular culture in a way that was accessible and reflective of the times. The video script describes pop art as being born out of the new popular culture, with subjects ranging from celebrities to everyday items.

💡Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol is a leading figure in the pop art movement, known for his iconic screen prints and the idea that 'everything is Art'. The script highlights Warhol's significant role in pop art, emphasizing his influence and the broader acceptance of everyday objects as subjects for high art.

💡Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism is an art movement characterized by the emphasis on spontaneity, abstract or non-representational imagery, and the artist's emotional state. The video contrasts pop art's focus on popular culture with the introverted nature of abstract expressionism, showing a shift in artistic focus.

💡Australian Art

The script mentions the conservative state of Australian art and how pop art served as a reaction to it. It discusses the emergence of the 'Anandale Imitation Realists' and later artists like Martin Sharp and Brett Whiteley, who embraced the pop art movement, reflecting the global reach and influence of pop art.

💡Popism

Popism is a term used in the video to describe a post-pop art movement in Australia that mined past and present pop culture and incorporated appropriation of past works. It signifies the ongoing influence and evolution of pop art, showing how it became integrated into the broader cultural landscape.

Highlights

Post-war economic boom and optimism led to a consumer-driven society.

Supermarket aisles were filled with a variety of consumer products.

Advertising and glossy magazines influenced consumer buying decisions.

The rise of movie stars and celebrity culture in the post-war era.

Youth fought for freedom, contributing to the emergence of pop art.

Pop art subjects included celebrities, comics, and everyday items like cans and condiments.

Pop art style was characterized by flat, colorful, and graphic commercial imagery.

Critics were initially skeptical about the artistic value of everyday objects.

Andy Warhol's philosophy that 'everything is Art' was central to pop art.

Richard Hamilton was an early pioneer in referencing pop culture in the UK.

Peter Blake and David Hockney celebrated and questioned American culture.

Pop art in the US was a reaction against the introverted nature of abstract expressionism.

Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns used flags, targets, and tires in their art.

Andy Warhol became the king of pop with his iconic screen prints.

Roy Lichtstein transformed comic books into high art.

Claes Oldenburg turned mundane objects like toilets into art pieces.

In Australia, pop art started as a reaction to the conservative art scene.

The anandale Imitation Realists defied norms by adding everyday items to their canvases.

Australian artists like Martin Sharp and Brett Whiteley embraced American and British pop culture influences.

Pop art's heyday ended in the late 1960s, but its legacy continued with post-pop art movements like popism.

Popism mined past and present pop culture and incorporated appropriation techniques.

Pop art is now recognized as a defining and highly influential 20th-century art movement.

Pop art is not just a reflection of popular culture; it has become a part of it.