1960's Pop Art

INTD 217 Term Project 1960’s Pop Art Maryam Hamad 202110306 Kawther Jasim 202110358

Summary of the design style • Pop art is a design movement that emerged after WWII in America & Britain. It focuses on images and ideas from popular culture, such as those in comic books, advertisements, and commonplace items.

This design movement is known for its vibrant colors and geometric shapes used to portray mundane tasks and everyday items (talking on the phone, applying makeup, shouting, soup cans, fizzy drinks, etc.).

Influences: • In London, this movement started when a group of creatives (known as the "Independent Group") gathered to end the "modernist interpretation of culture and society". During the regular meetings that would take place, the term "Pop-Art" was brought up a lot as they would discuss the impacts of pop culture on society. A lot of their inspiration came from America's pop culture elements.

• America turned into the land of opportunities after WWII ended, and its society was developing a lot of new influential design movements, one of them being Pop-Art. America's Pop culture media was known to create bold works that were more "in-yourface".

Designers

Roberto Sebastian Roberto Matta, a sketch artist and painter from Chile, is well-known for his contributions to the Abstract Expressionist and Surrealist movements of the 20th century.

George Nelson George Nelson was an American Industrial Designer who owned George Nelson Associates, a company which designs 20th century modernist furniture.

Studio 65 Studio 65 is an international studio made up of artists, painters, photographers, and filmmakers founded in 1965.

Furniture “It is witty, geometric, brightly colored, and – made with cheap materials.” In the 1960s, artists revolted by embracing materials like plastic, metallic threads, and paper, which gave rise to one of the most well-liked (and dubious) furniture designs: inflatables. Pop art furniture is unique and quite appealing. Typically, it has rounded, odd shapes in the "retro futurism" fashion. Pop art avoids using cabinets since they are the main source of visual clutter.

This “Ball Clock” was designed by George Nelson and it depicts the beauty and simplicity of basic geometric shapes. The multicolored balls represent the Pop Art movement.

This famous lip-shaped sofa was created by Studio 65 in 1972, and is only produced in this color. It is a great example of Pop Art design.

Marshmallow bench, 1956.

This furniture piece was inspired by the “Ben-day Dots” which were highly intrend during those times.

Color Texture & Materials

Color: This era was known for the bright vivid colors used. The design was free and strong, with the presence of red, orange and yellows and when looking at these colors, we can easily distinguish the design.

Texture: As for the texture, it was mainly glossy and smooth surfaces which added a futuristic look to the space.

Materials: Finishing materials frequently have a glossy, reflective surface. Silk or synthetic textiles are often used, as well as LEDs, disco balls, and rhinestones which can all be used as decorations. Steel and chrome were frequently mixed with other materials to produce inventive designs because of their durability and slick appearance.

Characteristics Using pictures from the media: The use of recognized imagery from American popular culture is what makes Pop Art the most recognizable.

Elevating everyday objects:

Pop Art elevates everyday objects, like soup cans, to the level of fine art. When painters incorporated materials or imagery from daily life into their fine art throughout the 1950s and 1960s, they gave priority to the common and cliche.

Repetition: Pop artists frequently used the same image multiple times. While Roy Lichtenstein painted Ben-Day dots to resemble the appearance of printed comic strip images, Andy Warhol created his artwork using screen printing, a method employed in mass production.

Bold Colors: Bold primary colors like vivid red, dazzling yellow, and royal blue were used by pop artists.

Along with neon and fluorescents, they also used unusual colors that are not seen in nature.

The goal of pop art was to capture the viewer's attention right away.