Pop Art Still-life Paintings
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Plastic, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
Artist Comments
A bright and fun still life showing a box of Cap'n Crunch cereal and toy by artist Karen Barton. Karen describes her paintings as being of a historical nature. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Mixed Media, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Wood, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
An assortment of nigiri and sushi rolls displayed on a white plate with chopsticks, placed on a green oval serving platter. "In creating my paintings, I draw on my experience as a former commercial art director and designer," says artist Pat Doherty. "I take time to balance the elements in my compositions and establish good color relationships between light and shadow."
About the Artist
Pat Doherty follows in the tradition of Bay Area artists who paint what they love. Her culinary series is a reflection of her surroundings; Pat is a third generation San Franciscan now living in Marin. The Bay Area is the perfect place to find the petit fours and decadent pastries featured in her work "Sweet Choices." Similar in subject matter to Wayne Theibaud's desserts, Pat’s unique style starts with a rich color palette and an angled picture plane to achieve depth. The subjects are often simple, but Pat takes the time to understand them and develop a mastery of light and shadow. The art has a certain humor and light-heartedness as well, especially with her series of dogs and bite-sized confections. Pat's style is inspired by her previous work in the graphic design industry, when she was the art director of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, art director of San Francisco magazine, and senior art director at a private design firm. Pat's work has been featured in American Art Collector magazine, several solo shows, including the Caffe Museo in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as well as many group shows, including frequent showings at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art.
Words that describe this painting: cuisine, sushi, dining, still life, nigiri, food, Japanese, Japan, salmon, pop art, Wayne Thiebaud, pop, cuisine, representational, oil painting, green
Sushi Plate...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Epoxy Resin, Oil, Graphite, Plastic, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Oil, Wood Panel, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Plastic, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Canvas
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Plastic, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Mixed Media
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Linen, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
Early 2000s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil, Screen, Canvas
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Silver
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 2000s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Ink, Archival Ink, Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Screen, Acrylic, Linen, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Linen
1990s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Paper, Wood
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Pigment, Archival Pigment
1970s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
Early 2000s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Latex, Board
Early 2000s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Latex, Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Archival Paper, Watercolor