Recuperative Hermeneutics is the practice I chose to defend the Pop Art movement. In order to defend this art movement, there are five sections I chose to address in my paper. To begin with, addressed the history and background pertaining to the art movement called Pop. During this time, it is important to discuss the political climate of the time and society’s reaction to Pop Art. Next, I chose to present the main philosophical principles that aspired this art movement and the manifesto created by Pop Art. Within the paper, I introduce the main artists and discuss their main contributions to Art. Finally, it is important to address how artists from the Pop Art movement brought about the popularity of today’s society and culture.
In the 1950’s, Pop Art began in the United Kingdom first with British pop artist Richard Hamilton. During the fifties, Pop Art defines the popular culture. Back then, the forms of communication consisted of movies, television, newspapers, and magazines. Comic books, advertising, and movies were the social media of the fifties. Pop music soared throughout Britain and all of these were considered the culture sources of the time. As the United Kingdom was still rebuilding from World War II, Pop Art later evolved to the United States.
Due to the fallout of WWII, conflicts with the Vietnam War, and the rise of Communism, social movements began with protests evolving from various sectors. Artists began a rebellion and felt they were being taught to make everything they saw in museums, which had little to do with their lives. With their art on display for the world to see, Pop Art consisted of key characteristics. For example, Pop Art has imagery that is drawn from popular media and popular products. Bright, vivid colors are usually dominant in the art pieces. Since comic books and newspapers are a huge influence of Pop Art, flat imagery is a common characteristic of this art form.
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The last characteristic consists of images of characters or celebrities that are fictional or non-fictional in magazines, comic books, or advertisements. Media became dominant in America and artist began to take inspiration from sources in popular and commercial advertising. By the 1960’s, many young artists were using ideas for projects from pop music, commercials, comic strips, product packaging, and movies to protest against what had been taught to them. They began making Art that related to the new economy.
It was time to bring a little color and personality to the United States. Americans at the time, were happy and successful. Finding new ways to support their growing families with new job opportunities which led to better incomes. Pop Art began to become more of an up rise when well-known artist Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein began leading the movement. Warhol made silkscreen prints of famous celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. He took in the ideas for advertising marketing brands seen on commercials and began to make famous cans of Campbell’s soup. Lichtenstein began making comic paintings and much like Warhol got ideas for projects from marketing brand advertising.
There are several philosophical principles which inspired the Pop Art movement. To begin with, Pop Art intended to confuse the differences between what was considered great art compared to mediocre art. The artists in the Pop Art movement didn’t believe in a hierarchy for the basis of art. Another principle found among Pop Art artists dealt with the connections of a person’s inner soul. Some artists believed trauma was dealt with in the soul. Pop artists believed trauma was not in the soul, not even in the art created or in the world we live in. Pop artists believed that everything was connected to one another.
That trauma could not effect one aspect of your life without effecting everything in the world around you. Pop Art incorporates different types of work with different types of attitudes and personalities. Even though Pop Art is considered an inter-connected type of art, it is somewhat considered an emotionally detached genre of art. There’s been a lot of debate if the detachment is considered to be accepted by the world or if the world is shocked by the art. After WWII, Pop artists found creativity through media. Some art critics believe Pop artists used the capitalist market and their products and their art as a commodity or a product of sale.
This became known as Commercial Art. Even though this art was sometimes frowned upon, one of the best-known Pop artist in the world, started his career this way; Andy Warhol. The Commercial Art movement became famous with the help of Andy Warhol. Artists were being shown to be like all the other artist. They couldn’t relate to how to express themselves individually. Pop artists felt the world was boring and wanted to bring an up rise to it. They wanted to bring a new definition to Art. Artists began to express themselves through color, comics, celebrities, and media leading to an increase in interest and investment in art. Pop Art produced a large manifesto. The end of the movement led to a Contemporary Art movement.
It led to a new modern movement in the world. Pop Art has led to an increase in interest in Pop Culture in today’s society. People and companies use the movement world-wide to express themselves. Pop Art has increased the interest in Pop Culture through fashion, music, movies, product labels, and social media. Artist today continue to carry on the Pop Art movement by painting graffiti to express their selves or painting murals to show expression to exhibit for everyone to see in public displays.
There are several famous artists who influenced the Pop Art movement. Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987), from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was one of the most, if not the most popular Pop Art artist. He was such an influence to the Pop Art movement that many referred to him as the “Pope of Pop”. Mr. Warhol started out as an illustrator for ads and magazines and then became a renowned artist in the sixties. His works became a high demand in America and made Warhol a well-known name. Warhol took part in a variety of art including painting, photography, silk screening, and sculpturing.
The concept of Pop Art began when Warhol painted Campbell Soup cans, Coca-Cola bottles, vacuum cleaners and hamburgers. These everyday normal items became Pop Art items for Warhol. Andy Warhol’s paintings are some of the most expensive projects ever sold. His most expensive painting Eight Elvis’s which sold for $111.2 million. Some of his other famous paintings include Marilyn Diptych (1962), Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962), and Silver Car Crash (1963). Another artist known in the Pop Art movement is, Roy Lichtenstein (October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997), from Manhattan, New York. Lichtenstein worked in Cubism and Abstract Expressionism then later moved to Pop Art.
Lichtenstein was well-known for his comic books and illustrations, which lead him to be an important figure in the Pop Art movement. When Lichtenstein started his work critics called him a copycat as his work was closely related to original paintings. The critics were so bad that Life magazine published an article asking if Roy Lichtenstein was indeed the worst artist in the United States. Lichtenstein overcome the critics and became a leading artist in Pop Art. Some of Lichtenstein’s most popular art was encouraged by advertising and comic books.
A few of Lichtenstein’s popular works include Drowning Girl (1963), Oh, Jeff…I Love You, Too…But… (1964), and his most popular comic strip, Whaam! (1963). Keith Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990), from Reading, Pennsylvania became acquainted with Pop Art at a very young age. Haring’s interest in art was influenced by his father who created cartoons. Haring produced lots of public drawings and became a well-known graffiti artist. He later moved to New York to display some of his most popular art pieces on products like Absolut Vodka, Lucky Strike cigarettes, and Coca-Cola. Hearing’s art often contains a deep theme of birth, love, death, sexuality, and war. Some of his most famous works include the most popular Crack is Wack (1986) along with Tuttomondo (1989), and Free South Africa (1985). Haring’s contributions to art, opened doors for other people to experience success. For example, Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons uses his cartoon-like art to express his talents.
The artists that started and led the Pop Art movement had a big influence on a lot of art that has been created today. Unfortunately, many of the artist passed away in the late 1980’s or 1990’s. Their legacy lives on and their influence lives in the work of many artists in the world today. Artists continue to learn from past artists by studying past artists’ techniques. Studying the symbolism, colors, and materials used to create past artwork, artists use similar methods to create unique pieces of art. Many of the works still live on today with famous icons.
Some of the most infamous people of the movement include, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley. While art is about expressing oneself, there are many ways to show expression. A few avenues of expression are graffiti, comic strips, product advertising and murals. Graffiti, which is writings or drawings that are scribbled or sprayed in a public place on a visible surface, is still used today in big cities to express or elaborate a message to the world. Comic strips are considered drawings that tell a story, are still continuing to rise in interest with new ideas every day.
Comic strips are still printed in newspapers and comic books. Product advertising is the art of building product awareness with consumers. This type of art is now a big thing in the world while persuading consumers to buy a product. Murals are defined as artwork applied directly on a wall. Artists paint on murals to celebrate a cause, movement or to celebrate a person and the impact that was made on their life.
In conclusion, I chose the Recuperative Hermeneutics practice to defend the Pop Art movement. Throughout the paper, I addressed various points in my paper to support my defense. The historical and artistic context of the Pop Arts movement was addressed. The political climate and reaction along with the philosophical principles which inspired the Pop Art movement were also addressed. The final aspect of my paper concluded with the contributions of the Pop Art movement artists and their influence on other art movements and today’s culture.
