The term “Pop Art” was first coined in 1955 by British curator Lawrence Alloway to describe a new form of art that was rooted in mass reproduction, new media and consumerism. Contemporary Pop Art is usually simple yet bold, using everyday imagery as well as vibrant colors to create different compositions. 

What is Pop Art?

Pop Art mainly focuses on the introduction of identifiable imagery drawn from popular culture and the media, leading to a shift in the overall direction of modernism. Some see Pop Art as a successor of Dadaism, as well as other movements that bravely questioned the definition of “traditional art”. Pop Art swiftly became one of the first art movements to narrow the divide between commercial and fine art. 

When Did Pop Art Start?

Pop Art emerged in the 1950s, during a period when the postwar socio-political climate fostered a celebration of commonplace objects and everyday media. Founded on the idea of “art democratization” as a response to the zeitgeist, artists gravitated to incorporating recognizable and relatable subject matter taken from movies, pop music, comic books, advertising, and more.

Some of the best known exponents of Pop Art including James Rosenquist, Roy Lichstenstein, and Andy Warhol further propelled the movement with their respective stylized iconography, causing it to reach a heightened popularity in the 60s and 70s. Pop Art still stands as one of the most identifiable styles of modern art, as it continues to draw inspiration from both historical and present-day commercial imagery and symbols.

Hunt Slonem 

Hunt Slonem is best known for his neo-expressionist oil paintings. Inspired by Andy Warhol’s seriality, Hunt Slonem uses repetition as a form of creative meditation. Some of his works include portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Queen Elizabeth. 

Paul Rousso 

Paul Rousso’s work is a prime example of Pop Art. His technique mainly relies on using heat infusion on polystyrene to create hyper-sized and hyper-realistic sculptures of everyday objects such as newspapers and currency. 

Ray Philips

Ray Philips graduated from the Houston Museum of Fine Arts School, now named the Glassell School of Art. His work is often an amalgam of mixed media, pop culture, abstract composition and typography, making it highly appreciated and easily recognizable.