Charles Fazzino and the History of Pop Art
What is Pop Art
We often refer to Charles Fazzino as a contemporary pop artist. What is the definition of pop art anyway? There is some debate about whether the pop art movement began in Great Britain or the United States, but the consensus is that in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, pop art marked a distinctive developmental period in the art world. In an almost defiant way, artists began incorporating everyday elements and icons drawn directly from popular culture into their artworks.
Everything from advertising to cartoons and popular celebrities became fair game. Originally, the pop art movement was a type of rebellion. By turning common items and images into “art,” these artists were clearly debunking the elitist stereotype that previously dominated the art world. These pop artists made their art accessible and attractive to everyone. It was an artistic celebration of contemporary life and targeted a wider audience than the art world ever had before. As a group, pop artists succeeded in bringing fine art into the mainstream of American culture.
The Most Famous Pop Artists
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Andy Warhol |
Robert Rauschenberg |
Two of the most famous pop artists of the time were Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The former relied on advertising and celebrity images, while the latter developed an entire collection of artworks reminiscent of comic book panels. Today, their original artworks sell for millions of dollars. They and their contemporaries (including Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Red Grooms, and others) created a genre of art that continues to excite collectors and generate interest all over the world.
Evolution of Pop Art and Charles Fazzino's Place in It
Charles Fazzino represents the next generation of great and important pop artists, and a step in the evolution of the pop art movement. In the 1980’s, he took the meaning of pop art to a new level, both literally and figuratively, with the development of his hand-cut, assembled, and embellished multi-layering technique. In telling the story of our lives through his three-dimensional creations, he captures the entire essence of our memories…where we’ve traveled to, events we’ve attended, where we live, what we do, and who we love. He’s often called a pop culture historian because of the vast diversity of his imagery. Taken all together, his artwork is a true retrospective on what it means to live in contemporary society.
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Roy Lichtenstein |
Red Grooms |
