Pop art is a visual art movement that began in the mid-1950s in Britain and the late 1950s in the United States. It is a movement that uses popular culture such as advertising, comic books, and consumer products as its subject matter. The movement was heavily influenced by Dadaism and Surrealism, which rejected traditional fine art conventions.
Richard Hamilton was one of the most influential figures in Pop Art. He has been credited with coining the term “Pop Art” in an essay he wrote in 1956 entitled “Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?” In this essay he described Pop Art as “Popular (designed for a mass audience), Transient (short-term solution), Expendable (easily forgotten), Low Cost, Mass Produced, Young (aimed at youth), Witty, Sexy, Gimmicky, Glamorous and Big Business.”
Hamilton believed that Pop Art had the potential to challenge and disrupt existing conventions of fine art by bringing together elements of commercial culture and fine art. He argued that Pop Art should be seen as an equal to traditional fine arts because it could still be creative and meaningful despite its commercial origins.
Hamilton also believed that Pop Art could be used to draw attention to social issues such as consumerism and celebrity culture. By questioning these issues through his work he hoped to encourage people to think critically about them. He argued that people should not simply accept what they see but rather question it and form their own opinions about it.
In summary, Richard Hamilton described Pop Art as Popular, Transient, Expendable, Low Cost, Mass Produced, Young, Witty, Sexy Gimmicky ,Glamorous and Big Business. He saw it as an opportunity for artists to challenge existing conventions of fine art by bringing together elements of commercial culture with fine art. He also believed that Pop Art could be used to draw attention to social issues such as consumerism and celebrity culture by encouraging people to question what they see rather than simply accepting it.
Conclusion: In conclusion, Richard Hamilton saw pop art as a way of combining elements of commercial culture with traditional forms of art while also drawing attention to social issues such as consumerism and celebrity culture by encouraging people to think critically about them. He described pop art as “Popular (designed for a mass audience),” “Transient (short-term solution),” “Expendable (easily forgotten),” “Low Cost,” “Mass Produced,” “Young (aimed at youth),””Witty,””Sexy,””Gimmicky,””Glamorous”and “Big Business.”