What is a pop artist? A common answer is that a pop artist is a creator who specialises in making work that draws from the imagery and energy of popular culture. Simply enough, that's exactly what a pop artist is. But don't be fooled — being a pop artist and what can be classified as pop art also has its many complexities and unwritten 'guidelines' for being called such.
Pop Art Has No Rules — And That's the Whole Point
Pop art — as with any other art form — does not intend to impose strict rules as to whether a piece can be called pop art or not. But it doesn't hurt to know more about how pop art came to be and what common styles and techniques pop artists usually incorporate in their works today.
What Actually Makes Someone a Pop Artist?
Let us take a deeper look at what makes someone a pop artist. As mentioned earlier, pop art mainly makes use of elements from popular and mass culture. The pop art movement first started in the United States and the United Kingdom in the mid-1950s as an answer to the growing consumerism culture in both countries.
Why Pop Art Exploded — And Never Really Stopped
The rise of pop art came as a surprise when it first emerged because it deliberately shied away from the elitist atmosphere that art was known for at the time. A complete opposite of fine art, pop artists enjoyed stretching the boundaries of their work into previously unknown territory.
Ignoring the invisible walls built by the more snobbish and sophisticated group of artists, pop art became a channel for ordinary people to express their creativity in a more relatable and personal way. The rebellious nature of pop art has inspired countless artists to create work that has helped nurture the movement into a global trend that continues to be appreciated to this day. Want to know more about why this energy is still alive? Read why fun pop art is everywhere right now.
Besides the use of vibrant colours that definitely stand out, pop art is known for its use of popular imagery — mainly from the world of advertising. From everyday products such as soda bottles to famous celebrities and companies, pop art is a meeting point for everything associated with the words "trendy" and "popular".
Richard Hamilton, a pop artist in the 1950s, recognised pop art as a form of expression for the masses, saying: "Pop Art is: 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, Big business."
The Pop Art Works That Made the World Pay Attention
Besides Hamilton, many other pop artists have gone on to make their mark with iconic works — Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup Cans, which elevated a supermarket shelf into high art, and Roy Lichtenstein's Drowning Girl, widely regarded as a masterpiece of melodrama and one of the defining images of the entire movement. If those famous works sparked something in you, explore original pop art prints here.
How a Pop Artist Actually Thinks
In a nutshell, a pop artist is someone who thinks outside the rigid formality of fine art. To be a pop artist is to drop the fanciness of tradition and prefer a more grounded, human approach to creativity. A pop artist is someone connected with the masses — someone who rebels against the presumptuousness of the art world with each and every stroke on the canvas. Curious what that looks like in practice? Here's a bit about me and how I work.
Check out some of my street pop art paintings.
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