Artists display artworks in downtown New York City: Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselman and Roy Lichtenstein started to create vernacular artwork from advertisements and other media. Post-War American culture had large emphasis on their produced artworks, and this eventually branched out into the Pop art movement. This movement collaged often, and its subject material usually shined from America’s vulgar commercial industries. It was often in touch with reproducible images and other symbols used in everyday life, which was opposite from the previous expressionists. One of their main goals was similar to those of Constructivists existing earlier within the twentieth century, with it being to accomplish a larger set of concerns through bringing them into focus while also combining the urgencies of everyday life and art. These artists redefined the expectations of contemporary painting, even those that were entirely radical. The exhibits gave birth to a new wave of artwork, and Wesselman shines the true meaning of Pop art within Great American Nude #21. We see many different everyday life symbols within this image, such as several pieces of glistening fruit and a bottle of vodka placed right behind the subject of the photo. He includes an image and/or poster of John F. Kennedy, who had just been elected. The viewer is also drawn to a needlepoint located in the United States flag image labeled “Old Glory.” Each aspect of the image creates a relationship that displays consumer culture during the time period while also celebrating the current state of taboo.
Works Cited:
“Great American Nude # 21 by Tom Wesselmann.” Artvee, https://artvee.com/dl/great-american-nude-21
Accessed 19 Mar. 2023
“Tom Wesselmann (1931-2004).” Christies.com, Christie’s, 2020, www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5437837
Accessed 19 Mar. 2023
"What You Need to Know: Pop Art", Sothebys.com, Kathleen White, 2018,
https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/7-things-you-need-to-know-pop-art
Accessed 28 Mar. 2023