Art and politics, you cannot toggle one without influencing the other!
Following the end of the Second World War, the British took a very optimistic leap during the 1950’s. The term “Pop Art” which in itself means popular art first appeared in Britain during the ‘50’s referring to the mass media influence on people from advertising to comics and simply living a more secure yet free life. This time in history is both a movement for the politics and the art world. The fact is, if there is a lifestyle change then there is an interlinked artistic change. The artists and Britain’s “The Independent Group” favored a more popular and less academic take on art, another revolution that exudes positive energy. To put it more simply, making art that is easily understandable grounded in consumer culture for more accessible art. Visual language is heavily used in simpler mannerisms than the movement that preceded it: Surrealism, this is the new art of the 20th Century.
Main Pop Artists in America: Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, David Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein
Main Pop Artists in Britain and Europe: Richard Hamilton, Peter Blake, Claes Oldenburg,
Recommended movie to watch for this movement: Factory Girl Starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen. Directed by George Hickenlooper
Visit: Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and The Guggenheim Museum, both in New York City for an extensive collection of Pop Art!
– Guest Blogger: Haya Al Khalifa
