Pop Art Mixed Media
Perhaps one of the most influential contemporary art movements, Pop art emerged in the 1950s. In stark contrast to traditional artistic practice, its practitioners drew on imagery from popular culture — comic books, advertising, product packaging and other commercial media — to create original Pop art paintings, prints and sculptures that celebrated ordinary life in the most literal way.
ORIGINS OF POP ART
- Started in Britain in the 1950s, flourished in 1960s-era America
- “This is Tomorrow,” at London's Whitechapel Gallery in 1956, was reportedly the first Pop art exhibition
- A reaction to postwar mass consumerism
- Transitioning away from Abstract Expressionism
- Informed by neo-Dada and artists such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg; influenced postmodernism and Photorealism
CHARACTERISTICS OF POP ART
- Bold imagery
- Bright, vivid colors
- Straightforward concepts
- Engagement with popular culture
- Incorporation of everyday objects from advertisements, cartoons, comic books and other popular mass media
POP ARTISTS TO KNOW
- Richard Hamilton
- Andy Warhol
- Marta Minujín
- Claes Oldenburg
- Eduardo Paolozzi
- Rosalyn Drexler
- James Rosenquist
- Peter Blake
- Roy Lichtenstein
ORIGINAL POP ART ON 1STDIBS
The Pop art movement started in the United Kingdom as a reaction, both positive and critical, to the period’s consumerism. Its goal was to put popular culture on the same level as so-called high culture.
Richard Hamilton’s 1956 collage Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? is widely believed to have kickstarted this unconventional new style.
Pop art works are distinguished by their bold imagery, bright colors and seemingly commonplace subject matter. Practitioners sought to challenge the status quo, breaking with the perceived elitism of the previously dominant Abstract Expressionism and making statements about current events. Other key characteristics of Pop art include appropriation of imagery and techniques from popular and commercial culture; use of different media and formats; repetition in imagery and iconography; incorporation of mundane objects from advertisements, cartoons and other popular media; hard edges; and ironic and witty treatment of subject matter.
Although British artists launched the movement, they were soon overshadowed by their American counterparts. Pop art is perhaps most closely identified with American Pop artist Andy Warhol, whose clever appropriation of motifs and images helped to transform the artistic style into a lifestyle. Most of the best-known American artists associated with Pop art started in commercial art (Warhol made whimsical drawings as a hobby during his early years as a commercial illustrator), a background that helped them in merging high and popular culture.
Roy Lichtenstein was another prominent Pop artist that was active in the United States. Much like Warhol, Lichtenstein drew his subjects from print media, particularly comic strips, producing paintings and sculptures characterized by primary colors, bold outlines and halftone dots, elements appropriated from commercial printing. Recontextualizing a lowbrow image by importing it into a fine-art context was a trademark of his style. Neo-Pop artists like Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami further blurred the line between art and popular culture.
Pop art rose to prominence largely through the work of a handful of men creating works that were unemotional and distanced — in other words, stereotypically masculine. However, there were many important female Pop artists, such as Rosalyn Drexler, whose significant contributions to the movement are recognized today. Best known for her work as a playwright and novelist, Drexler also created paintings and collages embodying Pop art themes and stylistic features.
Read more about the history of Pop art and the style’s famous artists, and browse the collection of original Pop art paintings, prints, photography and other works for sale on 1stDibs.
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Photographic Paper
1970s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Magazine Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Screen
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Acrylic
1970s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Spray Paint
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Paper, Mixed Media, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Epoxy Resin, Glitter, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Birch, Paint
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Paper, Mixed Media, Graphite
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Paper, Mixed Media, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Varnish
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic, Vinyl
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic, Vinyl
Artist Comments
"A true gift sparks joy in my heart and a craving for jelly," says Diane Flick of this playful scene. Her latest series of ink and watercolor drawings adds more characters to her invented universe where robots befriend animals and devour delicious treats. These diminutive drawings work well on their own, or tell a great story in groups of three or five.
About the Artist
Diane Flick is a Bay Area artist who paints quirky portraits of robots with a playful color palette and masterful realism. Each of Diane’s robots expresses its own humanlike and idiosyncratic personality. From an early age, she had a fascination with inanimate objects and often imagined what they would be like with human characteristics. Her portfolio explores the human experience through non-human subjects.
Words that describe this painting: robot, peanut, gift, present, pop surrealism, Eric...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Glitter, Acrylic, Stencil
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic, Vinyl
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Plexiglass, Archival Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Pigment
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Stencil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Acrylic, Screen
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Resin, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wire
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic, Ballpoint Pen, Paper, Spray Paint, Vinyl
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Stencil
1960s Pop Art Mixed Media
Synthetic, Plastic, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Resin, Glitter, Acrylic, Wood Panel
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Offset
Artist Comments
"This piece depicts the endless world of color and inspiration, created by the force within us all," says artist Miranda Gamel. A pop art-style portrait of a roaring tiger with a glowing pink crown. Surrounded by fluid swirls of color and drips of paint. "Loud, vibrant, alive. The love for life will melt into the air and fill your lungs."
About the Artist
The daughter of two artists, Miranda Gamel grew up with artistic aspirations. “When I was young, I couldn’t imagine that I would be anything else… it only seemed natural,” she says. She further developed her skills with her teachers (and fellow UGallery artists) John and Elli Milan. Miranda’s paintings exist on the edge of the surreal and the fantastical while remaining grounded in human emotion. Each painting, through its dynamic imagery, conveys the spirit embodied by the composition’s subject. Miranda’s ultimate goal is to portray each individual “being their true, raw, authentic self.”
Words that describe this painting: urban, tiger, wildlife, Dimitra Milan, animal, big cat, fierce, colorful, vibrant, street art, pop art, king, crown, animals, pop, representational, mixed media artwork, pink
His Majesty...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1990s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Resin, Plastic, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic
1990s Pop Art Mixed Media
Watercolor, Etching
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Photographic Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic Polymer, Glitter
20th Century Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic Polymer, Glitter
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic Polymer, Glitter
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic, Lithograph
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Glitter, Acrylic, Stencil
