Back in the 1980s, the portrait style paintings of the American artist Andy Warhol were considered a very popular and unique type of art. It has now become one of the most popular styles in contemporary art.
The main characteristic that makes this genre so successful is its populist appeal, as it appeals to both high and low-brow people alike. This can be seen in its ability to incorporate pop culture throughout the whole production process. The more well known pieces often include references to film, television, music videos or other media that are even today still well known by younger generations.
As a whole, the art scene in the 1980s flourished with an abundance of new and original works. This was in part due to the high demand for art, as there were many more collectors than ever before. Here are some of the noteworthy art styles and artists of the 1980s:
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was a highly influential figure in the art scene during the 1980s. He was admired for his work as a graffiti artist, known in the streets of New York for his influential pop art style. His artworks were often bright and colorful, but also carried profound messages about society, culture, and politics.
He is someone who has managed to combine the authenticity of street art and high art to create some very beautiful images that were still thoughtful and compelling. Imagery that might seem playful or almost nonsensical at first glance will end up evoking serious topics, such as drug issues, labor exploitation, and the AIDS epidemic.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was an American pop artist and a visual artist who is widely recognized as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He is mostly known for his portraits, which are often done in bright colors and large scale, but have also become very popular today as prints.
Andy Warhol may be considered a pioneer in the art style of art pop and appropriation art, as he was inspired by the pop art movement of the 1950s, but he was also able to incorporate elements from other genres, such as Surrealism. He was also a significant influence on many contemporary artists, including Keith Haring, who more or less followed his footsteps as an artist and artist’s collaborator.
Jean Michel-Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat is a prominent figure in the art scene. He gained traction as part of the graffiti duo SAMO with Al Diaz, where they mostly displayed their work in the streets of Manhattan. Several of his pieces were bought by collectors at the time for millions of dollars today, but remain extremely popular nonetheless.
Jean-Michel Basquiat is known for spearheading the neo-expressionism art movement. Expressionism is an art movement that involves putting everything in a subjective perspective. That means that the world is distorted in order to provoke a type of emotion or plant a particular idea in someone’s head.
This new form of expressionism, on the other hand, follows the same principles as expressionism, but rough handling of materials is used to communicate a particular message to the audience.
