The new exhibition at Cartwright Hall is 'Pop Art'. The Pop Art movement exploded during the 1950s and 60s. Inspired by popular culture, it was rooted in the growth of mass consumerism and advertising. New methods of printmaking made it cheap and accessible.
In 1968, Cartwright Hall created and staged the First British International Print Biennale, and went on to hold eleven such exhibitions up to 1990, a notable showcasing of print as a medium and a round-up of some of the most influential artists of the time.
The first biennale poster (above),'Tree and Grass', was designed by David Hockney, who was also involved in the selection of artists. His own involvement with the Pop Art movement encouraged some of the biggest names to exhibit. I don't remember seeing this print before. What struck me most was that the mark-making on it, though a little more delicate, seems to have a direct link to some of Hockney's work in the latter part of his long career, such as those iPad paintings like the Normandie prints that were displayed in Salts Mill (see HERE).
I really liked this poster, designed for the 6th Biennale by Patrick Caulfield, with a noticeable Japanese influence.
Of course a Pop Art exhibition has to include a couple of Andy Warhol prints: a version of his Marilyn Monroe posters and an iconic soup can. (I rather liked the pink wall too!)
Finally, another Pop Art 'great', Roy Lichtenstein. This one is called 'Peace Through Chemistry', and may reference the use by the United States of 'Agent Orange', a highly toxic herbicide used during the Vietnam War that had devastating health effects both for the Vietnamese population and for US and allied veterans.
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