What Art Movements Influenced Pop Art?

Art|Pop Art

Pop Art is a style of art that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. It is often seen as a reaction against Abstract Expressionism, which was widely popular at the time.

Pop Art uses imagery from popular culture such as advertising, comics, and mundane objects to create art that is accessible and relatable to a wide audience. Pop Art was heavily influenced by previous art movements, including Dadaism, Surrealism, Cubism, and Futurism.

Dadaism was an artistic movement that began in Zurich in 1916 in response to World War I. The movement rejected rational thought and embraced chaos and anarchy.

It used techniques such as collage, assemblage, found objects, and readymades to create art that would shock and provoke viewers into questioning their preconceived notions of what art should be. Dada artists also employed photomontage to create images from multiple sources. This technique was adopted by Pop Artists who used it to create images from popular culture sources such as newspaper advertisements and comic strips.

Surrealism was an artistic movement developed in Paris in the 1920s that sought to explore the unconscious mind through dreamlike imagery. Surrealist artists often used unexpected juxtapositions of figures and objects to create works that seemed unreal or irrational. These works were highly influential on Pop Art, which similarly incorporated elements from everyday life into works of art that seemed unreal or surreal.

Cubism was an influential style of modernist painting developed by Picasso and Braque between 1907-1914 which sought to break down forms into their basic shapes in order to create a new way of looking at reality. This style of painting had a direct influence on Pop Art’s use of flat shapes and bright colors as well as its exploration of how images could be deconstructed into more abstract forms.

Futurism, an Italian avant-garde movement founded by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909 sought to celebrate speed, technology, youth culture, violence, industrialization, revolution and modern life through dynamic compositions with geometric shapes and vibrant colors reminiscent of advertising posters from the period. This style had a direct influence on Pop Art’s celebration of modern life through its incorporation of advertising imagery as well as its use of bold colors juxtaposed with dynamic compositions.

Conclusion:

Pop Art was heavily influenced by several preceding art movements including Dadaism, Surrealism, Cubism, and Futurism each having their own unique contributions towards the development this revolutionary new style of art. By incorporating elements from these different styles into their work Pop Artists created something entirely new while paying homage to those who came before them.