The effects of Pop Art on graphic design

Pop Art, emerged almost simultaneously in England and America in 1950s, became the milestone of Modern Arts and irreversibly changed the prevailing standards of fine arts. Like in all art movements, Pop Art rooted from Dadaism and Duchamp played a crucial role in it. Pop Art, reflecting popular culture and consumerism, is a reaction to Abstract Expressionism Art and is considered to be an antithesis of that movement. Some remarkable English artists like Richard Hamilton and David Hockney and American artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol laid the foundations of Pop Art and helped it flourish as well. Pop Art could not deeply affect Turkish Painting Arts and Graphic Design as the economic, social and cultural background was not favouring the growth of it. It is also notified that during that period some artists like Burhan Doğançay, Altan Gürman and Özdemir Altan were partly inspired by the Pop Art movement in some ways. In early Republican period some posters were employed to enhance economic growth and to establish public awareness. To achieve this, some prominent figures like Ihap Hulusi Görey, Mengü Ertel, Yurdaer Ertaş and Sait Maden designed some social responsibility posters, playbills, book covers and logotypes. In short, while Pop Art is characterized by its deep impact on the perception of art worldwide, Turkey was underwhelmed by its presence. Yet, some contemporary Turkish artists still use most of the features of the Pop Art style as inspiration for their artwork. Key Words: Pop Art, ready-made objects, found objects, kitsch, pop culture, mass culture, consumption culture, Andy Warhol, 1960s, Altan Gürman