Over the last fifty years, Pop Art has experienced dramatic changes in themes, styles and content˳ As an art form that draws inspiration from mass media and consumerism, it has necessarily evolved alongside a modernizing world˳ During the Golden Age of Pop Art, a handful of Pop Art artists explored bold new means of expression˳ Each of these artists contributed a unique influence to this varied art form that would forever change the history of the art genre˳ Some of the original pioneers include Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Tom Wesselmann˳
Roy Lichtenstein taught as a professor at the State University of New York at Oswego before pursuing art˳ It was not until the early 1960’s that Lichtenstein began his career as ant artist˳ His early paintings earned him national attention as they used cartoons and images that were derived from commercial print production˳ His style evolved as his later works featured thick outlines, vibrant colors and Ben-Day dots˳ His most famous works include Drowning Girl (1963), which is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City˳
Despite his lifelong passion, Tom Wesselmann turned his full attention to art only after a two year enlistment in the Army and obtaining a degree in psychology˳ Although most commonly remembered for his collages, his original focus was on the classical representation of nudes, still life and landscapes˳ He received national praise after his series Great American Nude, which utilized flat forms and intense colors˳
Andy Warhol is probably the best known of the original Pop Art˳ He began as a commercial artist creating illustrations and advertisements during the 1950’s˳ His career in art began in 1962 with a solo exhibit in California that garnered national attention˳ He was renowned for utilizing the repetition of Hollywood icons and common household items in his work˳ In 2009, his Eight Elvises piece, an acrylic on canvass with eight overlapping images of Elvis, sold for 100 million dollars˳ The price for this single piece places him in the company of such revered artists as Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh˳
During the 1960’s, these three classic Pop Art artists helped create a movement which made art more accessible to the public˳ They used styles, themes and content which were familiar to the average American and contained a decipherable message˳ More recently, contemporary artists such as Romero Britto, Carlos A˳ Navarro, and Tim Rogerson have employed the use of vibrant mediums and colors to create the Neo-Pop Art movement˳ This new generation has begun to blur the line between art and retail design˳
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