The History of Pop-Art

The history of Pop-art.
When discussing the subject of Pop Art, I pay attention to its genesis, representatives,
as well as the works and interpretation themselves. it is necessary to notice the influence of
the relationship: artist-recipient, where the viewers for the first time were average people
without an artistic education.
Art is no longer directed only to the "higher spheres", each recipient can feel the
work. Supporting my thesis with the words: "everything is art, everyone can be artists"1 I am
inclined to say that thanks to Pop-art a new chapter has opened for the art of "temporal art".
It is customary to talk about the beginnings of pop art after World War II. More
precisely, two trends can be distinguished: the first European one was created in the mid-
1950s, and the American one, which dates back to the 1960s. The beginnings were based on
painting, while with the development of this artistic trend, new means of artistic expression
began to be used - installations, space arrangements, photography, poster, printing and screen
printing.
The English form of Pop-art is closely related to the "Independent Group", which
includes Richard Hamilton and Eduardo Paolozzi. They promoted the trends of Dadaism and
discussed the value of mass culture and its artistic values. The most recognised work from
begins is collage: “What actually makes today's apartments so different, so attractive?”2
Done by Hamilton and shown on exhibition “This is Tomorrow”
Other particularly recognisable artists of the English Pop-art scene are Peter Blake,
David Hockney, Patrick Caulfield, and Peter Philips.
In America, this trend began in the 1960s. It is characteristic that the format of the
works is enlarged, bright colours e.g. Andy Warhol with portraits of celebrity’s or the
opposite - very bland e.g. “Flag” by Jasper John3. The works are mainly figurative4 The main
representatives are Jasper John, Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann, Andy Warhol, Ed
Ruscha, Jim Dine, Robert Indiana.
The term Pop-art comes from the abbreviation of "popular art". The concept was
first used by art critic and curator Laurence Alloway in an Architectural review. The term
POPART was used to describe images that drew attention to "post-war consumerism", and
the leitmotif of the works was materialism in departing from the sacred sphere.
Now, knowing the genesis of the term, one can risk and draw a thesis that this trend
had moralizing features. The fundamental topic of pop-art are everyday objects and their
1
abaren.pl. (n.d.). Pop-art – cechy, historia, przykłady, twórcy. [online] Available at: https://abaren.pl/pop-
art.php#:~:text=Typowymi%20%C5%BAr%C3%B3d%C5%82ami%20ikonografii%20pop%2Dart [Accessed 21
Sep. 2022].
2
This small collage (only 26 x 25 cm), made in 1956 by the English artist Richard Hamilton, consists of paintings
from American magazines. The work abounds with symbols of consumer society and popular culture, which
when grouped together form a bold critical pamphlet against the imperfections of a stereotyped and self-
centered society.
3
Wikipedia. (2022). Flag (painting). [online] Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_(painting)
[Accessed 21 Sep. 2022].
4
figurative art - it consists in showing animals and people in their real shapes. another term for figurativism is
"representational art". the opposite is abstractionism.
advertisements on billboards and posters, i.e. the artefacts of modern man are the subjects of
the art in the simplest terms. What interests the creator are common objects and images of
representatives of popular culture, or its creations. This current of the rally raised social
problems and was based on mass culture and was targeted at it.
To complete the general characteristics of the pop-art genre in question as
contemporary art, it is worth noting what accretions it contains. Works from this trend
contained accents of surrealism5, figurative art and Dadaism6. It is interesting that pop-art
creativity contained a "paradox" as include also eclecticism7, it was also characterised by the
same as verism8. It manifested itself in the way to presentation of everyday objects.
Despite the fact that this trend is loved by some, and by others referred to as
"kitsch", which does not deserve the name of art, Pop art has certainly entered the history of
art for good. Immortal works inspired by (unnatural) surroundings arouse admiration and
shock, inspire and encourage contemplation. In my opinion, it is amazing how deeply
meaning can be acquired objects that are so common in everyday life that we do not pay
attention to them - but digested by the artist, can make us reflect. It is just a matter of
interpretation whether a given work fills us with optimism or is an exclamation point over our
way of life.
Bibliography:
1. Wikipedia. (2022). Verism. [online] Available at:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verism [Accessed 21 Sep. 2022].
2. abaren.pl. (n.d.). Pop-art – cechy, historia, przykłady, twórcy. [online] Available at:
https://abaren.pl/pop-art.php#:~:text=Typowymi%20%C5%BAr%C3%B3d
%C5%82ami%20ikonografii%20pop%2Dart [Accessed 21 Sep. 2022].
3. Wikipedia. (2022). Flag (painting). [online] Available at:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_(painting) [Accessed 21 Sep. 2022].
4. zpe.gov.pl. (n.d.). Graficzna odsłona pop-artu - Zintegrowana Platforma Edukacyjna.
[online] Available at: https://zpe.gov.pl/a/graficzna-odslona-pop-artu/DZocsgY2o.
5
Surrealism - Works of Surrealism feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non
sequitur. However, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the
philosophical movement first and foremost.
6
the international artistic and literary movement in the art of the twentieth century to which you wrote were
introduced to the artistic expression, breaking with all tradition and creative freedom rejecting canons. In the
poems, in the verses of World War I, the apostles denied the help, his aesthetic ideas and the province. It did
not create a pure style that coherently united the program of their work - they were united by a common
attitude rather than a style.
7
is a kind of mixed style in the fine arts: "the borrowing of a variety of styles from different sources
and combining them
8
was a realistic style in Roman art, this was mainly in portraits, the imperfections of the face were sharpened
to give them seriousness.
5. A
‌ rtmajeur (n.d.). 5 podstawowych dzieł pop-artu | Magazyn Artmajeur. [online]
www.artmajeur.com. Available at: https://www.artmajeur.com/pl/magazine/5-
historia-sztuki/5-podstawowych-dziel-pop-artu/330296 [Accessed 21 Sep. 2022].
6. Contributors to Wikimedia projects (2001). international cultural movement that
began in the early 1920s. [online] Wikipedia.org. Available at:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism.
7. Wikipedia. (2021). Eclecticism in art. [online] Available at:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclecticism_in_art [Accessed 21 Sep. 2022].
8. Wikipedia. (2022). Dadaizm. [online] Available at:
https://pl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadaizm [Accessed 21 Sep. 2022].
Sylwia Stawarczyk

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