What is pop art? Pop art as a movement that began in the 1950s in Britain and the U.S. that is the art of mass popular culture in opposition to the art world elite. Today the term can still be used for art as an expression of influence of the dominant culture of the masses.

While Andy Warhol made his famous soup cans in the U.S., a new and exciting art in Japan was beginning to take shape and its own course.

Tanaami and American influence

One of the first and most important of Japanese pop artists is Keiichi Tanaami. He was educated at the University of Art Musashino, and will design work after graduation. It was not long before leaving the company he worked for because of his busy schedule with field activities. These creative experiments included animation, lithograph, illustration and editorial design.

At the end 60, Tanaami traveled to the United States, where there was a meeting with Andy Warhol influence in his legendary Factory in New York. I was very happy to have known Andy, while he was making his screen prints, and much of his work was inspired by the style of Andy. Later, after moving to San Francisco, designed by the artist Japanese became very colorful and psychedelic. He even designed a cover of Jefferson Airplane.

Much work Tanaami comes from dreams and memories. He remembers as a child clutching goldfish that were about to die, until his bowels came out. You can see this in some of his sculptures of colorful fish. Things frightening and interesting.

Manga and Anime

Perhaps the best known contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, today is. He was credited with the modern art style called "Superflat," a mixture of traditional art with new concepts that are derived in part sleeve and anime. These artworks are known for their flat color images.

While Andy Warhol in the 1960s was the conversion of products consumption in the art, Murakami is turning art into consumer products. He says he knows how much the Japanese people love art, but very few can afford the high class art. So he creates art affordable anyone can afford. His art is in the form of toys, paintings, sculptures, dolls and mannequins, t-shirts, and any other type of product available to consumers. He also designed a handbag for Louis Vuitton.

His art is often colorful and imaginative, as the painting "727." Some of his art is bold, like his Cowboy "My Lonesome". The "Cowboy" shows an obvious reference to American culture with the loop made of, eh, fluids.

Graffiti and Child figures

Like Murakami, Japanese artist Yoshimoto Nara derives its style of manga and anime. His work usually done in the painting of graffiti, type, and often the characters are cute and childish, but also have dark features. These characters come from a meshing Memories of childhood and contemporary input. What you get is a single consumer product of art.

There is an excellent British miniseries called Japanorama, chronicling the quest to host the Japanese culture in general. One of the episodes is all about J-Art and has over artists and much more. So check it out, and do not forget to look a hot bowl of ramen.

Dan Kretschmer keeps a daily blog at http://www.vincesear.com

Introduction to Pop Art