Pop Art: Warhol and Lichtenstein
For this project I have chosen to look
at two pioneers of sixties movement Pop
Art, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
These two artists both made a name for
themselves in the sixties, particularly for
the style of their works and through this
timeline I will display their progress and
development within the sixties.
PopArt was a movement that had two
sides the “euphoric, progress-orientated
prospects” and “pessimistic outlook on
the other” (Osterwald p.6). There was a
Pre-Pop period and which progressed to
where Warhol and Lichtenstein were con-
sidered to have been part of the “com-
mercial art, design and poster painting”
(Osterwald p.88). During this period Pop
Art became a “reaction against abstract
expressionism” (Galenson p.269), which
was the movement in prior years. Re-
search carried out by Galenson refers
to a Warhol (1963) quote stating “The
reason I am painting this way is that I
want to be a machine”, this being a bla-
tant attempt to rouse an audience whose
goal is self-expressionism. His controversy
didn’t stop at provoking his critics he
was an artist who openly liked money.
Galenson goes on to say that Warhol
“yearned for the power to transmute
everything he touched into something of
greater financial worth.”
Warhol in this the sixties created “Soup Cans” fectively as stated by Harrison and “understood
which created a buzz which was “triggered as a representation of printed matter”. Dur-
by an article in Times magazine” (Galenson ing the period “Whaam” (1963) is based on an
2009, p.84) making him into “The leader of a image from ‘All American Men of War’ at the
dominant new art movement” (Galenson p.84). time of this painting there were tensions be-
During this stage of Warhol’s career he could tween the United States and the Soviet Union.
afford to have a personal assistant, Gerard This theme of war and military carried on to
Malanga. Being in an informal design team the following year.
has its perks of having someone to scrutinize
the work and help with additional changes. It Reoccurring themes is an aspect worn by
raises a question of who really is the driving both artist as Warhol reinvented his “soup
force of the project? I think that as an artist can”(1962) into “soup can multicolored” (1965).
he is about sharing his ideas and it may not This image to me sums up what Pop art is;
matter about the authorship but “what it does having an image and reinventing it with an en-
and how it does it” (Bierut M. et al 1997). ergetic style bring new life to the image coin-
ciding with Warhol’s idea that “what mattered
Warhol’s work from 1962 onwards saw him use was not the appearance of the work but the
mechanical techniques in his process. Instead idea that motivated them”(p.84 Galenson 2009).
of having meticulously producing his work War-
hol would use photographic images and create
innovative serial forms, which is clearly seen in
his work “Blue electric chair” and “Elvis I and
II”. His ideology behind was that “what mat-
tered was not the appearance of the work but
the idea that motivated them”(p.84 Galenson
2009).
Relatively during the same period Lichtenstein
was also at a boom stage in his career. He
started creating comic style frames in large
proportion. His use of ben-day dots was not
only effective in his work but he was also
able to communicate his work simply and ef-
ANDY WARHOL 1949 becomes a 1953 Wins Gold 1958 After
Bachelor of Fine Medal from Art seeing Jas-
Arts and moves to Director’s Club per Johns
New York and Robert
1941 starts Schen- 1956 Holds a Rauschen-
ley High School successful exhi- berg exhibi-
bition of Crazy tion decides
1945 graduates 1952 First Golden Slippers to be more
Born 6 August 1928 from Schenley High exhibition at drawing at the of an ap-
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania School Pittsburgh Hugo Gallery Bodley Gallery plied artist

1939 - 1945 World War 2

Born 27 October 193z 1943 Drafted 1951 Left 1957 Moves to

Manhatton, New York into U.S. Army for work in Oswega, New
Cleveland York after be-
1939 Studies at Art ing appointed As-
Student League 1949 Becomes Master sistant Professor
of Fine Arts and be- of Art at Oswega
1940 Enrols Ohio gan teaching at Ohio State University
State University State University

ROY LICHTENSTEIN
1960
takes up
painting
seriously

1962 “Campbell’s Soup Cans” 1963 “Blue Electric Chair” 1964 “Elvis I and II”

1958 Birth of Pop Art

1960 1962 “The Refrigerator” 1963 “Whaam” 1964 paint “As I opened fire”
teach-
es in
Ruthers
Universi-
ty, New
York
 1965 “Campbell’s
Soup multicoloured” 1966 “Cow Wallpaper” 1967 “Marilyn” 1974 “Chairman Mao”

1965 Paints “A Girl’s Picture” 1966 “Alka Seltzer” 1968 “Preparedness” 1974 “Foot Medication”
Bierut M., Drenttel W., Heller S., (1997)
Looking closer: Critical writings on
graphic design, New York: Allworth Press

Galenson D.W., (2009) Conceptual Revo-

lutions in the Twentieth – Century Art.
New York: Cambridge University Press

Harrison C., Wood P., (2003) Art in Theo-

ry, 1900 – 2000, An Anthology of Chang-
ing Ideas, USA: Blackwell Publishing

Osterwald T. (2007) Pop Art, Cologne:

Tashen