Pop Art: Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Roy Lichtenstein

Pop art was a movement which emerged mainly in the United Kingdom and the Untied States in the 1950s. This particular movement centered around art which took inspiration from mass culture, celebrities, and other popular movements. Three artists who dominated the movement were Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Roy Lichtenstein.

Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a pioneer for pop art. One of Warhol’s most well-known works is a painting of a Campbell’s soup can. The reason that this painting is so popular is because of its discussion of American society at the time it was created in 1962. Around the time Warhol painted the soup can, America was in the middle of a massive movement towards an aggressive consumer culture. The can is meant to represent this new culture, as it is an image that would be easily recognizable for all those who would view the painting.

Another influential pop artist is Keith Haring. Haring was popular later than Warhol, around the 1980s. Haring’s art was created in more of a graffiti style, it was more abstract than other pop artists. One of his well-known works is titled, Andy Mouse. This work is based off of a combination of two of his idols, Andy Warhol, and Walt Disney. He created an abstract image of Andy Warhol with the body and ears of Mickey Mouse. Haring created this piece in 1986.

Finally, another very important figure during the pop art was Roy Lichtenstein. One technique that Lichtenstein often used when creating his pieces was Ben Day dots, which is using many small dots in different colors in order to create an entire shape. One of Lichtenstein’s great examples of this technique is a painting titled, Ohhh…Alright…, which depicts a woman on a phone call. This painting was created in 1964, and it is a great example of a painting from the pop art movement due to its inspiration in style from comic books.

In conclusion, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Roy Lichtenstein were very famous figures who were a part of the pop art movement. This movement focused on celebrities, mass consumerism, and culture in general, ranging from advertising to comic books. These three artists were not very similar to each other in their works, but they were still a part of the same movement that challenged traditional art styles.