1960s Pop Art & Minimalism: A Cultural Revolution - Essay Sample

Introduction

During the 1960s, there were two distinct art movements, that is, Pop art and Minimalism (Sandler 311). Understandably, the period was characterized by great economic, cultural and social growth in the United States. The American culture experienced significant changes, and it formed the key foundation of society and art. Moreover, the emerging consumer culture among Americans provided the artists with the opportunity to incorporate the realities in their artistry. Notably, Pop Art was premised on imagery from popular culture, which resulted in a significant impact on modern life. Additionally, Pop art effectively reflected the underlying social situation where Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol infused comprehensible images that were non-discriminatory (Sandler 314). Furthermore, Minimalist art emerged as a counter-culture art, and it depicted a more commercial outlook compared to pop art (Bieber 92). Popular Minimalists such as Frank Stella, Donald Judd, and Dan Flavin focused on simple lines and created a departure from unnecessary details.

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Understandably, Lichtenstein and Warhol, as Pop artists, focused on incorporating classical items in their artistic structure either for advertising or humor. On the other hand, Minimalists involved lights, geometrical forms and colors in their works and departed from creating emotional content (Bieber 96). Notably, some of the most famous Minimalists such as Flavin, Judd, and Stella emphasized on materiality aspect, which enabled the viewers to experience primary qualities such as light's appearance, weight, and height, among others. Moreover, Pop artists derived most of their artistic works from advertisements and comic, and just like Minimalists, they offset the emotional aspect depicted by most artists (Sandler 316). It should be noted that the two movements focused on the use of industrial materials in their artistry, and they developed a new art representation, which enabled the Pop artists and Minimalists to blur the boundary between the art and the conventional life (Bieber 99). Understandably, Lichtenstein and Warhol created a convergence of popular culture and consumer products in their artistic works. More importantly, Lichtenstein effectively utilized cartoon imagery such as Micky Mouse in his works.

Moreover, Pop artists believed that art and artists are embedded in a communication system of popular culture. For instance, Warhol concentrated on collecting various artworks and disposable materials originally intended for singular use (Sandler 319). Moreover, some artistic works of Warhol, such as repetition of the banal image, depicted social criticism. Stella, Judd, and Flavin, who were the key representatives of their Minimalism movement, incorporated distinct features in their artistry. For instance, Stella embodied his artistry of monochrome colors and rectangular forms in his famous work, dubbed, Black Paintings (Bieber 108). Also, Dan Flavin utilized colored tubes and fluorescent light to develop new art that resonated with the American culture. Furthermore, Minimalism was closely associated with Modernism, which lent the Minimalists arts a clean outlook (Bieber 103). Understandably, Pop artists premised their works on mechanical reproduction and the representatives of Pop artistry such as Lichtenstein and Warhol challenged the machine-made models (Sandler 321). Lichtenstein used a complex technique where he cropped various images that he used to create new compositions. Moreover, he incorporated comical texts and language in his works, which provided an important visual aspect.

It should be noted that the Minimalists used various commercially produced materials in their artistic works. More specifically, Flavin used different materials to make sculptures and installations, which shaped the Minimalist movement (Bieber 107). Understandably, minimalists focused greatly on the formal aspects of their artistic works, which helped in establishing a strong relationship between the viewer and the art. Moreover, both Pop art and Minimalism have led to a successful exploration of modern art. In the same vein, Pop art has created the much-needed convergence of various aspects of art and commercialism, art and technology and, most importantly, art and popular culture (Sandler 323). Furthermore, Minimalism explored non-representational abstraction that inevitably re-defined the Minimalism art movement. Also, the Pop art movement was hell-bent at providing a challenge to modern artists, especially on their view concerning the popular culture. Most artistic works in the Pop art movement depicted a great deal of irony and humor, which enabled them to build a new relationship with contemporary culture (Sandler 324). On the other hand, Minimalism was characterized by simplicity, which enabled it to break down complex societal matters into comprehensible elements devoid of emotion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Pop art and Minimalism have played an integral role in re-defining modern artistry. Pop artists have effectively incorporated various artistic elements into realities which have resonated with the popular culture. It is worth noting that the American economic, social and cultural growth was premised on the development of different artworks, which inevitably created a contemporary consumer society. Understandably, comics and ads which are associated with Pop art made a significant contribution to the general outlook of the society. Most importantly, the outstanding similarities between these two art movements, such as the use of industrial materials, helped in the development of contemporary art representation.

Works Cited

Bieber, Susanneh. "Going Back to Kansas City: The Origins of Judd's Minimal Art." American Art 33.1, 2019, pp. 92-111, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/703713

Sandler, Irving. Art of the Postmodern Era: from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. Routledge, 2018, pp. 311-325, https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429502194