Pop Art: Warhol and Lichtenstein

Pop art is a movement that began in the 1950s and continued through the 1960s. It was a movement of rebellion, revolting against traditional art. Critics did not welcome the movement, saying that the subject matter was too simple and the pieces weren’t treated well. Pop art often focused on cultural objects and media stars. It blurred the lined between was what previously considered high art and low, everyday culture.

   

Andy Warhol began his career as a magazine illustrator and graphic designer. He is also one of the most famous artists from the 20th century. In the 1960s, he began experimenting with turning products of mass production into art. This can be seen in his Campbell’s Soup Cans collection, pictured above on the left (1962). Each of the thirty-two cans are on a separate canvases, one for each kind of soup sold by Campbell’s at the time. The combination canvas is mounted on the wall and a shelf is mounted underneath it, like in a grocery store. Warhol’s portrait of Michael Jackson (above right) was created in 1984. It is based on Thriller-era Michael Jackson, seen in his red jacket from the music video. The image of Jackson is screen printed. Warhol then painted with red, orange, and yellow paint over the image to highlight his hair and facial features.

 

Roy Lichtenstein is another famous pop artists from the the mid-20th century. He satirically developed fame for himself through the use of mass-reproduced visuals. Lichtenstein is most famous for his comic-book style and cartoon pieces. His most famous work is Whaam! (above right), painted in 1963. It features a military plane attacking another plane. Lichtenstein used a comic book panel from a 1962 comic book, pictured above on the left, as his inspiration for this piece. He once said there is humor behind the piece since there are two separate panels and one is shooting the other. Lichtenstein expanded his comic book style art in his crying girl pieces (below). Just as in comic books, the images are made up of tiny dots and seem cartoony.

  

Many pieces from the Pop Art movement, including those of Warhol and Lichtenstein, have been replicated and reprinted thousands of times since they were first created. They have become icons of 20th century culture, as well as part of American culture.