Painting Project
Pop Art
The term first appeared in Britain during the 1950s and referred to the interest of a number of artists in the images of mass media, advertising, comics and consumer products. The 1950s were a period of optimism in Britain following the end of war-time rationing, and a consumer boom took place. British artists aimed at broadening taste into more popular, less academic art.
Pop Art therefore coincided with the youth and pop music phenomenon of the 1950s and '60s, and became very much a part of the image of fashionable, 'swinging' London. Peter Blake, for example, designed album covers for Elvis Presley and the Beatles and placed film stars such as Brigitte Bardot in his pictures in the same way that Warhol was immortalizing Marilyn Monroe in the USA.
Peter Blake, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has a widely recognized album cover that depicts several dozen celebrities and other images. It was created by Jann Haworth and Peter Blake, who in 1967 won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts for their work on it.
Roy Lichtenstein 1923-1997
Roy Lichtenstein Hopeless 1963
Roy Lichtenstein Blam 1962
Roy Lichtenstein Drowning Girl 1963
Roy Lichtenstein Mustard on White 1963
Roy Lichtenstein Takka Takka 1962
Roy Lichtenstein Modern Room 1990
Andy Warhol 1928 - 1987
Andy Warhol Marilyn 1967
Andy Warhol Turquoise Marilyn 1962
Andy Warhol Triple Elvis 1963
Andy Warhol 100 cans 1962
James Rosenquist 1933 - 2017
James Rosenquist President Elect (1960-61) Oil on masonite Like many Pop artists, Rosenquist was fascinated by the popularization of political and cultural figures in mass media. In his painting President Elect, the artist depicts John F. Kennedy's face amidst an amalgamation of consumer items, including a yellow Chevrolet and a piece of cake. Rosenquist created a collage with the three elements cut from their original mass media context, and then photo-realistically recreated them on a monumental scale. As Rosenquist explains, "The face was from Kennedy's campaign poster. I was very interested at that time in people who advertised themselves. Why did they put up an advertisement of themselves? So that was his face. And his promise was half a Chevrolet and a piece of stale cake."
James Rosenquist Hey! Let’s Go for a Ride. 1961 oil on canvas
James Rosenquist Dishes 1964
To do for this project: You will create a painting in the pop art style. You can combine popular images to create a new composition. You can create an image (like a portrait) by changing the colours and simplifying the lines.
Choice B: Art History Mystery
1. Update a classic Recreate a classic painting from the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classicism or Romantic with modern day elements. You can insert current celebrities, yourself, or modernize the clothing or surroundings. Connect with the original work through colour scheme and composition.
2. Possess an artist Create a modern painting of your choosing, but paint it as an artist we studied. How would da Vinci paint your backyard garden? How would Caravaggio dramatically light your school portrait?