Pop art was first introduced in the 1950s and is still considered a major movement in modern art today. The term “pop art” was coined by British art critic Lawrence Alloway in the mid-1950s. He described it as “popular, transient, expendable, low-cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous, and Big Business.” Pop art was a reaction against the traditional fine arts styles of painting and sculpture that had been popular for centuries.
The first artist to create pop art was Richard Hamilton from England. He created a collage called “Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different?” in 1956 which is considered the first pop artwork. Hamilton’s work featured common everyday objects like comic books and vacuum cleaners juxtaposed with images of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
In America, another major contributor to pop art was Andy Warhol who rose to fame with his iconic silkscreen paintings of Campbell Soup cans and Coca Cola bottles. Other notable American pop artists include Roy Lichtenstein whose comic book inspired works feature bright colors and bold lines as well as Claes Oldenburg who created large scale sculptures of everyday objects like houses and hamburgers.
Pop art also had an influence on music with bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones adopting the style into their album covers. Pop artists also influenced fashion with designers such as Mary Quant creating clothing that incorporated elements of pop art.
Conclusion:
Richard Hamilton is credited as being the originator of pop art when he created his collage in 1956. Since then many other artists have contributed to the movement including Andy Warhol in America and its influence can be seen in music, fashion and other forms of design today.