What Makes an Artwork Pop Art?

Art|Pop Art

Pop art is an art movement that arose in the mid-1950s in Britain and the United States. It is a visual art style that combines elements of popular culture with fine art techniques.

Pop art is characterized by bright colors, bold lines, and strong geometric shapes. The term “pop art” was coined by British artist Richard Hamilton in 1954 to describe the work of artists like himself who used images from popular culture to create works of art.

Pop art often uses iconic images from popular culture such as film, television, advertising and comics. Artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and James Rosenquist are some of the most famous pop artists who used mass media imagery to create their works. Pop art has become synonymous with modernism as it often challenges conventional ideas about beauty and taste by using everyday objects in new ways.

Pop art is often seen as a reaction against abstract expressionism which focused on creating emotion rather than making a statement about society or its culture. Pop artists sought to reflect their own times through their work by using recognizable images from popular media such as advertisements or comic books. By doing so they wanted to challenge accepted notions of what could be considered as “art”.

The key elements that make an artwork pop art are its bold colors, strong geometric shapes and its use of recognizable images from popular culture such as advertisements or comic books. Pop artists also use humor and satire in their work to comment on the values and attitudes of contemporary society. The combination of these elements creates a visually stimulating artwork that stands out from traditional fine arts pieces.

In conclusion, what makes an artwork pop art is its bold colors, strong geometric shapes, recognizable imagery from popular culture and its use of humor and satire to comment on contemporary society values and attitudes. Pop art is an important part of modernism that continues to challenge conventional ideas about beauty and taste through its use of everyday objects in new ways.