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.
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wire
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Newsprint
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite, Gel Pen
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Offset
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
1990s Pop Art Mixed Media
Color, Woodcut
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Ink, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Felt Pen, Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Resin, Plastic, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Silk, Mixed Media, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1990s Pop Art Mixed Media
Porcelain, Screen
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
1990s Pop Art Mixed Media
Glass, Mixed Media, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal, Steel
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Screen
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Resin, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Glitter
Artist Comments
A whimsical rural scene unfolds as a Holstein named Ella from Elmore County, Alabama, stands proudly on the bed of an old pickup truck. It drives beneath a vast sky filled with voluminous clouds. The cow, who earned second place at the annual Dairy Cattle Show last...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Light streams through the window as friends gather around a table, fully absorbed in their game. Much like the last hundred poker nights, they have been at it...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Silk, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Neon Light, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Paper
Mid-20th Century Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic, Screen
20th Century Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Cotton Canvas, Found Objects, Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Graphite
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Laminate, Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Concrete
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Adhesive
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Acrylic, Screen
Artist Comments
This painting captures the moody atmosphere of a dimly lit bar, where patrons sit in quiet solitude, their forms rendered mostly in silhouette. The open doorw...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Leather, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Offset, Plastic
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Offset, Plastic, Mixed Media, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Newsprint
1990s Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Ceramic
1960s Pop Art Mixed Media
Linen, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic, Screen
Artist Comments
Four playful penguins wobble and walk up and down seaside rocks. Utilizing hand-cut papers, artist Rick "Marlowe" Schneider portrays the playful birds with fun and intriguing expressions. The dimensional piece pops with vibrant colors and eye-catching hues of aqua, yellow and blue.
About the Artist
Artist Rick "Marlowe" Schneider creates mixed-media collages, combining the use of handmade paper with a raised dimensional technique. "This process produces distinct shadows which make the imagery jump off the canvas," says Rick. His work is a contemporary nod to 1930s and 1940s graphic design. By bringing together bold color combinations and patterns with quirky typefaces, Rick's work embodies the fun and elegant movie posters of Hollywood's Golden Age. Inspiration for his narratives comes from his father who was a pulp fiction writer. His loft studio in Leland, North Carolina, houses his archive of pulp magazines and stories from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. "My workspace is cluttered with canvases and handmade paper that I have imported from Thailand. It may be impossible to walk around but the atmosphere is perfect for creating."
Words that describe this painting: penguins, colorful, bold, animal, sealife, playful, kids, nursery, dimensional, collage, wildlife, pop, animals, pop, mixed media artwork, beige
PenPals
Rick "Marlowe" Schneider
Handcut...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas
Artist Comments
Artist Keith Thompson references Charles Darwin in this piece, stating, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Linen, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Spray Paint, Color Pencil, Graphite
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Graphite, Film, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Plastic, Wood
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic, Screen