Leslie MarshallEnglish 250

Effects of the Popular Art Movement

o Style of art that explores the aspects of daily life through forms of Dadaism.

o Developed in England during the 1950s and gained popularity in the United States during the 1960s.

o Can reflect contemporary reality and provoke cultural change by merging the gap between fine arts and media through advertising and commercial arts.

What is Popular Art?

o Artists began undertaking the designs of the commonplace promotions.

o Advertising and media gave artists new subjects to formulate into their bold, splashy style.

o Brand name essentials became iconic symbols for the era. • Example: Campbell’s Soup, Pepsi, Coca-Cola.

Consumer Habits and Retail Tactics

32 Campbell’s Soup CansAndy Warhol.

Pepsi Ad Andy Warhol.

o Popular art increased the demand for consumer goods and mass media programming.

o Kitsch: art that imitates the superficial side of creativity and is industrially produced. • Example: Coca-Cola.

o Social barriers of the classes shifted, due to the shared common interest in mass produced commodities.

Convergence of ‘High’ and ‘Low’ Culture

100 Coca-Cola Bottles.

Andy Warhol.

o “Pop Art” – popular, transient, expendable, low cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, glamorous, big business.”

o Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes Different So Appealing, and Swingeing London ‘67.

o Works reveal the bias interpretation of media.

Richard Hamilton

Swingeing London ‘67.

Richard Hamilton.

o Assembly-line style of creating large-scale, silk screen paintings.

o 32 Campbell’s Soup and Brillo Boxes. o Instigated the cult celebrity following and love of the infamous. •Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, Elvis, and Mick Jagger

Andy Warhol

Brillo BoxesAndy Warhol.

Jackie and Marilyn Andy Warhol.

oPaintings smudged the insignificant images with impressionist features.

oHe revolutionized art with pieces like Flags and Ballantine Ale Cans.

oHis pieces were able to combine the trivial imagery of everyday life with high art.

Jasper Johns

Ballantine Ale CansJasper Johns

oReflected in hallmarks such as fashion, architecture, media and museum exhibitions.

oHas been most recently displayed in Obama’s Hope, campaign posters designed by Shephard Fairey.

Popular Art in Today’s Society

Barack ObamaHope

Shephard Fairey.

o Created a style that discovered the irony of common objects in daily life and bring about social change.

o Was able to challenge the distinction the difference between fine art and industrial produced designs.

o Artists were able to reflect contemporary reality.