How Was Pop Art Different From Abstract Expressionism?

Art|Pop Art

Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism are both artistic movements that emerged in the 1950s, but their approaches to art and their ultimate aims were vastly different.

Pop Art was a movement that sought to bring fine art into the public sphere. It was an art form which celebrated popular culture, and its practitioners were often drawn from photography, advertising, comics and other media forms. Artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Claes Oldenburg used these elements in their works to create a unique style of art which was accessible to a much larger audience than traditional fine art.

Abstract Expressionism on the other hand was a movement that sought to express emotion and humanity through non-representational forms. Artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning used abstract imagery, bold colors and gestural brushstrokes to convey emotions such as joy or sorrow without relying on any figurative representation. The aim of this movement was to create works that spoke directly to the viewer’s emotions without relying on narrative or symbolism.

Conclusion:

Pop Art was an accessible form of art which celebrated popular culture whereas Abstract Expressionism aimed to convey emotions through abstract forms. Both movements emerged in the 1950s but had very different approaches to art making.