What Caused the Pop Art Movement?

Art|Pop Art

The Pop Art movement began in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, and quickly spread to the United States. It was an art movement that focused on popular culture, often making use of mass-produced items such as comic books, newspapers, magazines and advertisements. The movement was heavily influenced by both popular culture and mass media, often using familiar images from both to create art pieces.

Pop Art was a reaction against the traditional fine arts of painting and sculpture that had become established in Europe during the 19th century. Pop artists sought to create art that was accessible to everyone, regardless of background or class. They wanted to challenge conventional ideas about what constituted ‘high’ and ‘low’ art forms.

Pop Art also highlighted consumerism and materialism, as well as questioning accepted ideas about traditional aesthetics. Pop artists sought to challenge traditional notions of beauty by presenting everyday objects such as vacuum cleaners or soft drinks cans as works of art. This idea of ‘found art’ has since become a major part of contemporary art practice.

In addition to questioning traditional aesthetics, Pop Art also sought to challenge accepted notions about what constituted ‘quality’ artwork. Through their use of bright colours, bold graphics, and the repetition of certain images or slogans, Pop Artists sought to show that artwork did not have to be ‘highbrow’ in order to be appreciated.

The Pop Art movement also helped shape a new understanding of popular culture and its role in society. By highlighting everyday objects or images from mass media and making them into works of art, Pop Artists showed how media can have an influence on our lives without us even being aware of it. This idea has since become an important part of postmodern theory and practice within the arts world.

Overall, it can be said that a combination of factors contributed towards the establishment and success of the Pop Art movement; from its origins in 1950s Britain through its influence from mass media and consumerism, all the way up until its emergence within postmodern theory today. The impact it has had on how we view both highbrow and lowbrow forms of art cannot be understated – its influence is evident in much contemporary artwork today.

Conclusion:

What caused the Pop Art Movement? It is clear that a combination of factors contributed towards this influential period in modern artistic history; from its origins in 1950s Britain through its influence from mass media and consumerism up until its emergence within postmodern theory today.