The Pop Art Movement

In the years following the conclusion of World War II, European and American governments ended food rationing, their economies rebounded, families recovered, and consumerism began to flourish. Britain, enthralled by the seemingly seductive glamour of American culture portrayed in magazines and film, quickly became one of America’s top importers; and it wasn’t long before every store teemed with American-made goods from bubblegum to Coca-Cola to cigarettes. Pop artists, beginning in Britain, before progressing to America, felt that these items were such an integral part of American culture, and, therefore, just as influential and relevant to society as more traditional artistic contributions. The primary objective of the Pop Art movement was

to blur the boundaries between “high” and “low” art—there were no longer limits as to where one could draw their inspiration. Pop art was the antithesis of Abstract Expressionism—instead of embracing the idea of expression through execution, Pop artists strove to make art out of the familiar, mass-produced, seemingly irrelevant items that nearly every person took for granted each day.

Abstract Expressionists utilized a number of various techniques as well as a variety of different mediums when creating their pieces.

Jackson Pollock, for example, created his massive canvases by dripping, flicking, and splattering house paint in a way that he felt reflected his inner turmoil; and for his piece, Full Fathom Five, rather than depict a subject, he incorporated many seemingly superfluous items, such as cigarettes, nails, and keys, which added to the piece’s sense of movement and depth. Abstract Expressionists, like Pollock, transferred their own emotions through their execution of their work, ensuring that their own feelings would radiate from their pieces, regardless of their final

appearance.

On the other hand, Pop artists felt compelled to prevent any visible brushstrokes, personal style, and/ or emotional influence from pervading their precise renditions of whatever items they chose to depict. For Andy Warhol, this meant when he was creating his 1962 work, Campbell’s Soup Cans, he needed to ensure that the paint was evenly applied, so no brush strokes could be detected, and he would have to refrain from adding embellishments of any kind, which would only invite unwarranted speculation of his intentions. There were no hidden agendas or implied meanings—each piece was simply created to demonstrate the importance of common place items in American culture.

Abstract Expressionists purposely chose to refrain from adding subjects to their work; they wanted their pieces to represent raw emotion, rather than distract their viewers with a figure that would only interfere with the purpose of the piece. The inclusion of figures would be an invitation to analyze and interpret the artist’s intent, rather than simply feel the emotion that went into the piece’s creation.

In addition to the many popular items, such as canned ham or beer cans, Pop artists also depicted pop-culture icons, such as Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

Warhol’s 1962 Marilyn Diptych, featured one of the greatest icons of that time, Marilyn Monroe; of the two portions of this piece, one contained several prints of Marilyn painted in vibrant neon colors, while the other was created using only black and white. The vibrant piece demonstrated how, though Marilyn had recently passed, she was still very much alive in American culture; the black and white portion represents the downward spiral that eventually lead to her suicide. Though, in this particular instance Warhol used colors not present in the original photograph, he still produced a piece that lacked obscure significance; his work continued to be purely

superficial.

In conclusion, the Pop artists rejected the ideals that were founded by the Abstract Expressionist—they wanted to create art that would appeal to, and resonate with, the average American. They wanted to create work that was aesthetically pleasing but required no further analysis or research in order to understand its meaning. Where Abstract Expressionism was a means of expressing inner torment and pain, Pop art was a mode of celebrating American life and the rallying economy.