pop art

pop art a movement that first emerged in Great Britain at the end of the 1950s as a reaction against the seriousness of abstract expressionism . British and American pop artists employed a common imagery found in comic strips, soup cans, and Coke bottles to express formal abstract relationships. By this means they provided a meeting ground where artist and layman could come to terms with art. Incorporating techniques of sign painting and commercial art into their work, as well as commercial literary imagery, pop artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol attempted to fuse elements of popular and high culture to erase the boundaries between the two.

Bibliography: See L. Alloway, ed. Modern Dreams: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Pop Art (1988).

pop art • n. art based on modern popular culture and the mass media, esp. as a critical or ironic comment on traditional fine art values.

pop art Movement inspired by consumerist images and popular culture that flourished in the USA and Britain from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Pop art borrowed ideas from comic books, advertisements, packaging, television, and films. Characteristic techniques included silk-screen printing and collage. Leading artists included Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Richard Hamilton, and David Hockney.