Glossary Term: Pop Art
Pop art started in Britain in the 1950s and spread to America in the 1960's. Pop artists used popular culture in their works. They neither praised nor condemned what they saw, but wove the flood of popular culture into their art in much the same way popular culture flooded into people's subconscious. They often used media, advertising and comic book art styles to bring art closer to real life.

Andy Warhol's paintings of soup cans and movie stars are classic examples of Pop art. Pop artists wanted to bring art back to the people and to make it more meaningful to everyday folks. Critics saw Pop art as vulgar, sensational and without merit. Supporters liked it because they felt it was an art everybody could understand and that it brought all elements of art and life to one level. Some well-known artists of this period were Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg.

Here are some examples of Pop Art.

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