How has graffiti affected pop surrealism?
Pop Surrealism, also known by the common term “Lowbrow Art”, is one of the more prominent evolutions of art as we know it in contemporary times. The art style’s roots were first developed in none other than the city of Los Angeles, California during the latter part of the 1970s.
Since then, Pop Surrealism has not looked back, with multiple developments and evolutions in how it is expressed throughout the years that it was given time to grow, the uniqueness of Lowbrow Art continues to pique the interest of both critics and casual viewers alike.
Pop Surrealism art is most known for making use of vibrant colors and eccentric themes. Usually, a parody delivered with humor, Pop Surrealism does not take itself seriously. And while this is a subject of entertainment for the common man, the simplicity and lack of identifiable form that is in the nature of Pop Surrealism has sparked debate into whether Lowbrow Art can be actually recognized as a category of art.
This conflict that many have including the free-form style of Pop Surrealism which continues to be talked about today is one confusion that Graffiti Art shares with Pop Surrealism. Much like Surrealism, Graffiti also incorporates unusual styles that do not necessarily fall under particular traditional rules of art.
Some may even say that Graffiti falls under the umbrella term of Pop Surrealism, and the many similarities that the two art forms share are proof enough of an artistic relationship between the two styles. One can even go as far as to claim that Graffiti Art has indeed affected the realm of Pop Surrealism in itself.
To provide a bit of context, Graffiti Art existed in the world for centuries ago. However, the kind of graffiti as we know it today has grown in popularity around the same time that Pop Surrealism burst into the scene — specifically, graffiti first gained traction during the early 1970s.
Back then and sometimes even up to now, Graffiti Art has been known for its rebellious nature. With artworks secretly placed in public infrastructure. The very essence of graffiti art is to go against the norm and the status quo — and for this reason, there are still talks about the legitimacy of the art style and if it can indeed be part of the many categories of art.
By this point, it may already sound familiar to you. Indeed, Graffiti Art and Pop Surrealism very much so share the same revolutionary qualities. In fact, the very look and feel of the two art styles may also be correlated with each other. There is no doubt that Graffiti has been a significant part of the maturity of Pop Surrealism.
At the end of the day, both styles do not care whether or not they are validated as art. Being considered as acceptable under the eyes of the traditional and rigid side of art is definitely the least of Graffiti and Pop Surrealism Art’s worries. Freedom and flexibility are the name of the game.
Check out some of my pop surreal prints.