Kate by Shauno

Today I'm going to be blogging about the concept of Pop Art: A movement that uses influences of pop culture and sometimes advertisements and comic book style art to create something that is very brash, bold and colorful. Some people say that it is an expansion of abstract art, which I discussed in one of my previous blogs. Pop art was first called Mass Media Art and emerged in the 1950's in Britain and soon took hold in United States.

Take this painting using acrylics drawn and colored in the style of Pop art -- how is it different from for example, a regular/realistic painting of a girl? Look at the way the hair is drawn, using different levels of thickness in the lines. By doing this, it creates more of a comic book/cartoonish style of art. What makes this picture so interesting to look at is the way it's outlined with simple varying line thickness. The colors however, still are made to give off a "50's vibe", since that was when it began and is more recognizable.

Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol

Most people, if not everyone is familiar with this famous silkscreen rendition of Marilyn Monroe's portrait by Andy Warhol. And if not the painting, then you're probably familiar with Marilyn Monroe, a pop sensation in the 50's. Andy Warhol, influenced by pop culture, created a colorful and bold silkscreen artwork with the use of a simple picture and different colors.

The reason why Pop art was very popular was because it related to things that people in those days were familiar with. It was also very academic as well as easy to access and recognize. Pop art coincided with the youthful, modern age at the time, and was being used in various advertisements, covers, etc. because it was new, bold and fashionable. Pop art, as some say, was the beginning of modern art itself.

To see more of Shauno's artwork: http://www.shauno.ca/
Learn more about Andy Warhol: http://www.warhol.org/