Pop art is an art movement that began in the mid-1950s and continued through to the 1970s. It was developed by young artists who wanted to challenge traditional notions of fine art by using everyday objects and popular culture as their subjects.
Pop art has been described as a “celebration of materialism”, and its influence can be seen in everything from fashion to advertising. But is it postmodern?
In order to answer this question, it is important to understand what postmodernism is. Postmodernism is an artistic and cultural movement that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s in response to modernism.
It rejected traditional concepts of beauty and truth, instead embracing irony, deconstruction, pastiche, intertextuality, and fragmentation. As such, it can be argued that pop art does have some postmodern elements.
Pop art often uses irony to make its point. It often takes mundane objects or images from popular culture – such as Campbell’s Soup cans or Coca Cola bottles – and turns them into works of high art. This can be seen as a form of deconstruction – taking something that is seen as lowbrow or mass produced and elevating it to the level of high culture.
Pop art also frequently uses fragmentation as a technique. It often takes bits and pieces from different sources – such as comic books or advertisements – and combines them into something new. This can be seen as an example of intertextuality – taking bits from different texts to create something new.
Furthermore, many pop artists embraced pastiche – borrowing heavily from other styles while adding their own unique twist. This could be seen as a form of fragmentation – taking bits from different sources and combining them into something new.
In conclusion, pop art does have some postmodern elements. Its use of irony, deconstruction, pastiche, intertextuality, and fragmentation all point towards a postmodern sensibility. However, whether or not it qualifies as “postmodern” depends on how one defines the term.