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
Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Holding a cup of coffee, an NYPD officer heads out to investigate. As snow falls around him, he becomes fixated on a clue, both literally and figuratively, leaving him out in the cold. Across the street, a warm and inviting glow beams from the windows, hinting at the comfort and life within the buildings. Artist Keith Thomson uses a combination of oil paint and ink in this artwork.
About the Artist
Alabama-based artist Keith Thomson creates quick-witted, mixed-media artwork that blends realism and surrealism. His background as a political cartoonist in the 90’s is reflected in the sharp storytelling his artwork achieves. He combines stylized realism and everyday subject matter with surreal details and ironic twists. He begins his work as digital sketches using an animation software, then he transfers the sketch onto the canvas and begins applying oil paint. In addition to painting, he is a writer, of mostly spy novels and nonfiction articles. His writing prowess shines through in his witty descriptions of his pieces.
Words that describe this painting: New York...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Epoxy Resin, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Glass, Plastic, Glitter, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Resin, Plexiglass, Ink, Spray Paint
20th Century Pop Art Mixed Media
Watercolor, Pencil, Gouache
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Cotton, Paper, Mixed Media, Graphite
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Early 2000s Pop Art Mixed Media
Ceramic, Mixed Media, Screen
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Epoxy Resin, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Offset
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Acrylic Polymer, Glitter
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Resin, Glitter
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Wood, Neon Light
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Ceramic, Porcelain, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Steel
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Offset, Lithograph
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Canvas, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Oil Crayon
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Silver, Copper, Gold Leaf
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Lithograph, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Lithograph
Early 2000s Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Pastel
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Concrete
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Ink, Mixed Media, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Photographic Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Lithograph, Offset
1980s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Lithograph
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Plastic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Steel
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Photographic Paper
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Leather, Spray Paint
2010s Pop Art Mixed Media
Birch, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Mixed Media
Steel