POP+Art

some noted Pop Artists Andy Warhol, Roy Litchenstien, Jim Dine, Larry Rivers, Wayne Thiebaud, Tom Wessleman, James Rosenquist, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Ruscha What was all the fuss about? Mass Cultural Objects, Mass Media, 1960 ’ s movement, advertising, cartoons, 50 ’ s life styles onward this was the fuss. the everyday, the visuals we were hit with selling us the American Dream. diminish the idea of High art and Low art in short Pop was about a revolution of sorts. They rebelled against Abstract Expressionism and its pulling of the soul and search for the sublime. They instead were much more interested in the every day person and their commodities, graphics and commercialism. The things that spoke to us on an everyday level. The Pop artists desire was to make these everyday images as important as museum "High Art". Pop was cool, detached, ambivalent to human emotions. they worked to produce an art that had a machine made look. The exception to this rule would have been Dine, Rivers, and Johns. So, it was about the image in the end which puts Dine and Warhol on the same field. Some artists like Wayne Theibaud hated the term and never thought of themselves as Pop all though his imagery fit the category with his diner food and portraits. His techniques though Much like Dine were purely in a "art realm" of made by hand. As time passed the imagery went from the every day to protesting the everyday, the sameness,the boredom. Artist like Robert Rauschenberg's art used the news media as a source for images. His partner in crime would have been Jasper Johns and his repetition paintings of numbers flags etc... see the link below as it is very informative and to the point with an interesting group of artists. Mentioned here are the mainstream, "bluechip guys". Take note that there are no women. [|http://www.theartstory.org/movement-pop-art-artworks.htm#pnt_1]

Tom Wessleman



early example of Pop Art by british artist, Richard Hamilton

Andy Warhol











below, Jim Dine



Jim Dine



below, Robert Indiana

Peter Blake an English artist, most popularly known for his work on Stg. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles



George Segal

below, west coast artist, Wayne Thiebaud







Bill boards and signs and magazines were inspirations for Pop artists. Many Pop artists came from a sign painting background whether they were English or American

Below is a Scottish artist Eduardo Paolozzi the imagery they used was popular advertisements, At the time that would have been cigarettes, sodas, canned foods, cartoons and even cars. Cars though went off into another direction and became their own style and school much of what can be found under Hotrod Art. This English Artist also worked with many famous Rock n Roll groups. Warhol was not the only artist to use a printing process. Here Paolozzi used it as did Robert Rauschenberg.

above Guy Peellaert used advertisements and did advertisements into the 1970's above a Coca Cola Billboard below, more Thiebaud



Roy used comic book imagery and words. He also used the imagery of newspapers and printing presses. these were black dots referred to as ben day dots.





Claus Oldenburg's liking was sculpture, and large scale sculpture. He and his wife made many pieces together but she received little credit for her part.





and so we still have artists working in a Pop style using current popular images, sports, war, news items and even politicians





Jasper Johns was never really a "Pop Artist", though he used popular images, targets, the flag, then stones used in stone facades on buildings and retaining walls seen all over certain neighborhoods in New York. Target Flags





Below is James Rosenquist, he was intact a sign or bill board painter. this can be seen in the scale of his art work. his images are confusing and complex. he referred to this as driving by signage on the highways. How much of each sign do you really see?





Stuart Davis may have been one of the first Pop Artists but he never called himself that. He was an American Cubist or a Regionalist or just a painter of America



One last Litchenstein