Pop-Art

An Art movement that emerged in the 1950s was largely a British and American cultural phenomenon. It emerged to light in reaction to consumerism, mass media and popular culture.  The term 'Pop' was introduced by the British Art critic Lawrence Alloway to describe a new type of art that was inspired by the imagery of Popular culture. Started with New York artists Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist and Claes Oldenburg, an interesting transition from traditional subjects to more common and everyday objects was witnessed. Pop artists started celebrating ordinary things which could resonate with people of all classes. 

One of the most significant objectives of the movement was to make art accessible to everyone and not just to the elite classes. It aimed to restructure the social order in the society by bringing this new and dynamic approach to the world of Art.  The movement that started in New York became wildly popular in Britain too.  The bright and vibrant colour palette with humorous and fun subjects were some of the main characteristics that broke the typically stereotyped  style of painting. 

Artists experimented with colours, subjects, paint mediums and painting techniques which revolutionized the whole definition of how people looked at art. However both the British and American Art Movement was not entirely same as American Pop art tended to be emblematic, anonymous, and aggressive; British Pop was more subjective, referential, and expressive. 

Pop art found critical acceptance as a form of art suited to the highly technological, mass-media-oriented society of Western countries. Although the public did not initially take it seriously, by the end of the 20th century it had become one of the most recognized art movements.