"In the same way pop art uses images from the mass media and popular culture, Postmodernism in a cannibalistic fashion uses art history imagery as its resource." .
Explain using relevant artists and examples of their work.
Pop art ridiculed many aspects of the modern world, with mass produced objects as the main subject for their collages, sculptures, prints and paintings. Post modernism is an artistic and literary movement that quite obviously rejected the previous, modernism, movement in an attempt to analyse and reorganize the existing modes of art practice. Both pop art and post modernism have guidelines for their movements. Similarly, they rejected art or themes particular to the context. For pop art, in taking images from mass media and representing them in a different way, new meanings and ideas are being revealed. Art history imagery is used in postmodernism, often in the form of appropriation, and very much relies on the reaction and interpretation by the audience.
Essentially, postmodernism uses art history imagery as its resource in a cannibalistic fashion, in a "way" that challenged art's audience, perception, themes, techniques and art in general. Pop art, in a dada-istic anti-art fashion, used commercial images in a rapidly commercializing world to challenge art's audience, perception, themes, techniques and general art, and also to challenge the consumer-orientated society that was fast becoming evident. .
Pop art was an art movement that emerged during the 1950's in England and America. It involved using the popular imagery of the time as subject a matter for art. The movement was contemptuous and mocked many aspects of the modern world, such as comic strips, consumer products, advertising and celebrities. Pop art used these images from the mass media and popular culture and completely changed their meaning and perception. It was something for the masses rather than just for the higher class of society.
