Pop Art is an artistic movement that emerged in Britain and the United States during the 1950s. It was heavily influenced by popular culture and mass media, and aimed to challenge conventional values by re-contextualizing everyday objects and images in a new way. The movement was led by a group of artists who challenged the traditional notion of “high art”, and sought to make art accessible to a wider audience. Some of the original Pop Art artists include Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Tom Wesselmann, and James Rosenquist.
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein was one of the leading figures of the Pop Art movement. He was known for his iconic comic book-inspired works which featured bright colors and bold lines.
His paintings often included speech bubbles which highlighted his use of irony and satire when commenting on contemporary culture. He also worked with sculptural elements such as 3D lettering and found objects to create mixed media pieces.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol is one of the most recognizable names associated with Pop Art. He famously said “I want everybody to be like me”, which perfectly encapsulates his mission to make art available to everyone. His works often featured images from popular culture such as Coca-Cola bottle designs or celebrity portraits. He also used repetition in his work to create a sense of mass production.
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg was another influential figure in Pop Art who focused on sculpture rather than painting or printmaking like some of his contemporaries. He created oversized sculptures that re-imagined everyday objects such as food items or tools in an exaggerated form.
Conclusion:
The original artists that helped shape the Pop Art movement were Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Tom Wesselmann and James Rosenquist. These artists challenged traditional definitions of “high art” through their use of irony, satire, repetition and re-contextualization in order to make art accessible to a wider audience.