You've undoubtedly heard of the term Pop-Art. It seems by this point the genre of art is just as famous and American as the Campbell's soup cans it famously mocked! Yet pop-art didn't actually originate in America. The genre was first dabbled into during the 1950's in Britain, as theit take on American culture. However, Pop Art could really only be an art movement that was born in the 20^th century. With the boom of capitalism came a boom of consumerism and a flood of images and advertisements. Pop-art isolated these images and aesthetics that we were so constantly bombarded with for contemplation outside of the original context. What ensued would make some huff and puff that it wasn't art, and others call it genius.

In many ways, Pop-Art was the opposite of the Abstract Expressionism that had blanketed the cultural scenes of the world. It was a return to precise painting and realism. Even in Lichtenstein, with his poppy graphic images, there is "hard edge" painting and precision. With a base in ironic humor with an anti-consumerism edge Pop-Art runs very close with Dada, which I always considered the punk rock of the art world.

Pop-art has continued to grow and spread like wildfire (along with consumerism) all over the World today. Japan is home to one of the most respected and interesting forms of pop art, an artist collective called Kaikai Kiki. These artists are known for their super-flat style and use of shocking or obscure imagery, much of which is inspired by anime and Japanese street culture.

As Pop-Art remains relevant, one option when getting a beloved photo made into a piece of art is to have it commemorated pop-art style. This often makes a more elegant, interesting and contemporary painting compared to a traditional realist portrait. So take inspiration from Andy Warhol's Marilyn and in that painting of your significant other, go for hyper neon saturated colors. Make your friend's face hot pink, make the entire photo into a palette of neon green and purple. With Valentines Day right around the corner (and our lightning-fast shipping) a piece of customized pop-art is the perfect gift for any sweetheart in your life!