Masterpiece, 1962

Emerging as a response to the “painterly looseness” of abstract expressionism in the 50s, Pop Art’s hard-edged composition and ironic focus on the mundane heralded a shift in the art world. The movement employed mass media such as comic books, brand advertising and everyday cultural objects, and depicted them as banal or kitschy. This was in direct contrast to the elitist symbolism that pervaded the art culture at the time. Two important artists spearheading this attitudinal, aesthetic shift were Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Lichtenstein used old-school comic book illustrations to present his parody of Americana in a manner less harsh than some of his peers. While Warhol’s approach was something far more existential. He attempted to elevate Pop Art to a lifestyle with pieces that explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement.

These prints are authorised reproductions imported from one of the leading publishing houses in the USA. They are available exclusively in South Africa on Superbalist.com.