Pop Art

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Pop art

Pop art is associated with artists from the mid-1950s onwards. The popularity of Abstract Expressionists brought about the restoration of distinguishable imagery that came from the popular culture and the media. It led to a significant shift for modernism in art. The pop art artists were not confined to the traditional themes of art such as definitive history, mythology, and morality. However, their art was a symbol of the recognition of the everyday life and common objects in a bid to elevate popular culture to fine art. It is currently one of the most recognizable styles of modern art due to its use in commercials by the media. Pop art artists create paintings or sculptures that involved mass culture objects in a bid to narrow down the gap between the high and low art. It follows that art can borrow from any source since there is no hierarchy of culture. Hence pop art seeks to use this concept to show how it differs from other kinds of art. This paper aims at providing an exhibition of five pop art works.

“I Was a Rich Man’s Plaything” is an artwork by Eduardo Paolozzi. It is a collage made from different pieces of commercial print papers and stuck artistically on a page. The artwork has one of the pictures covering two-thirds of its space. It contains a woman who is smiling. This collage is cut off from a magazine and dominates the artwork as a whole. The smiling woman represents a Hollywood starlet. She is sitting on a cushion. The other two pictures are a piece of an advert from Coca-Cola and a postcard of a World War II jet. The collage shows the fascination with technology, popular culture, and the American consumer behavior. It shows how people want to live in the present with new ideas. The artist believes that pop art should respond to the contemporary culture. Hence his work seeks to incorporate his belief ("Sir Eduardo Paolozzi | I Was a Rich Man's Plaything | I-Map | Tate").

Pop Art 1

“Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” is an artwork by Richard Hamilton. It is a popular postwar art that defines the consumer community from the mid-1950s. It is a pop artwork that features imagery from American magazines. The author employs multiple ways of communicating information that is present in a particular period. It also shows the artist’s interest in modern technology and popular culture (""Just What Was It That Made Yesterday’S Homes So Different, So Appealing? (Upgrade)", Richard Hamilton 2004 | Tate").

Pop Art 2

“Drowning Girl” is an artwork by Roy Lichtenstein. It is an artwork derived from comic inspiration. The artist assumes the imagery found in comic books in most of his works. “Drowning Girl” is sourced from a DC comic which has the drowning girl’s boyfriend in its background as he clings to a capsized boat. The artist cropped the image and changed the comic’s details. The artwork is a representation of the artist’s interest in the popular culture that was evident in the reputation of comic books ("Moma | Roy Lichtenstein. Drowning Girl. 1963").

Pop Art 3

“Whaam” is an artwork by Roy Lichtenstein. The artists derive imagery from a DC comic book. He was attracted by the comic’s emotional subject matter that appeared through the use of separate techniques. His art depicts powerful scenes in a detached manner that leaves the audience to figure out the meaning. He employs formal qualities of this comic book and adopts its original composition thus coming up with a stylish painting. The art also displays modern warfare. It indicates the artist’s interest in modern technology. However, it is an art from the comics that shows reality through the use of the unreal world ("Whaam!, Roy Lichtenstein 1963 | Tate").

Pop Art 4

“Marilyn Diptych” is an artwork by Andy Warhol. It is an example of pop art that got motivation from mass culture and materialism. The artist was inspired by popular culture while making this artwork. It is a tribute to a Hollywood actress Merilyn Moroe who died some weeks before the release of the artwork. The artist realized the rise of celebrity in pop art and used it to create the painting. It made the actress an icon in the 20th century due to its popularity. It spans dimensions of 2054 by 1448 millimeters ("Marilyn Diptych, Andy Warhol 1962 | Tate").

Pop Art 5

Pop Art 6

The above exhibition of pop art works they all fit together as a significant body of work since they entail the artist’s well-renowned pieces. Besides, they are from periods when the concept was emerging as an accepted art in the society. The artworks are different from what the Abstract Expressionists symbolize. It is because the pop art artists seek traces of trauma from the media in publications such as adverts and cartoons. It, therefore, indicates that they revolve around popular imagery. The major themes in these works are the use of modern technology. These artworks are valuable since they have significantly impacted the business world and also contributed to a more artistic culture. Thus we can relate to them as pioneers of the social movement in the world of art. Besides, they helped change the perception that art was excluded from popular culture. Theses artworks impacted people’s life beyond what other artworks before pop could provide. They have influenced the use of art today since Google and Apple incorporate pop art in their branding. Besides, it is an art that offers people to express their views without limits of traditional laws of art. All the artworks in this exhibition fall into the situations of activities that we face. Thus they tend to have a direct connection to our contemporary world. I would recommend that we should see the exhibition since it offers a broad interpretation of the works from the visuals and also gives the audience a chance to appreciate this line of art.

Presentation

“I Was a Rich Man’s Plaything” is an artwork by Eduardo Paolozzi. It is a collage made from different pieces of commercial print papers and stuck artistically on a page. It was made in 1947 using the technique of attaching collage on paper to create an artwork. It represents contrasts in Britain and America in their economic and political realities. It is found on display in the Dean Gallery. “Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” is an artwork by Richard Hamilton. The artwork is popular postwar art that defines the consumer community from the mid-1950s. It was made in 1956 for the Whitechapel’s Gallery. It is now in the Kunsthalle Tubingen collection in Germany.

“Whaam!” is an artwork by Roy Lichtenstein. The art also displays modern warfare. Besides, it shows reality through the use of the unreal world. It is found in Tate Modern on display. The artwork used the Magna acrylic and oil on canvas technique. It was made in 1963. “Drowning Girl” is an artwork by Roy Lichtenstein. It is an artwork derived from comic inspiration. It was made in 1963. It is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art. The artwork is on canvas. It defines emotions in a comic manner thus leaving the audience to interpret it. “Marilyn Diptych” is an artwork by Andy Warhol. It has inspired branding of corporations such as Apple and Google. It was made in 1962 on a silkscreen. It is displayed in Tate Modern. The above artworks connect in that they show the use of popular culture, modern technology, imagery and the modern society in art.

Works cited

""Just What Was It That Made Yesterday’S Homes So Different, So Appealing? (Upgrade)", Richard Hamilton 2004 | Tate". Tate. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

"Moma | Roy Lichtenstein. Drowning Girl. 1963". Moma.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

"Marilyn Diptych, Andy Warhol 1962 | Tate". Tate. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

"Sir Eduardo Paolozzi | I Was A Rich Man's Plaything | I-Map | Tate". Www2.tate.org.uk. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

"Whaam!, Roy Lichtenstein 1963 | Tate". Tate. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.