Western and Eastern Pop Art Differences Research Paper

Introduction

Art has always been an integral part of human society. People created it as a way to manifest their thoughts and attitudes towards a certain issue or phenomenon. For this reason, the attitude towards art and the way it had to reflect various concerns had been changing along with societys evolution. The appearance of a new tendency could not but impact this issue and introduce some new perspectives.

Additionally, the great divergence in mentalities peculiar to bearers of various cultures preconditioned the existence of radically opposite approaches to art and ways to create masterpieces. For this reason, the modern age with its great dependence on money and consumer character of society gives rise to a question of whether there is a significant difference between western and eastern pop art and how commercial management impacts the image of art.

Western pop art

One could hardly deny the fact that Western and Eastern cultures have different perspectives on similar issues. As stated above, the divergence in mentalities conditions the appearance of a unique way to reflect a certain idea. At the moment, even in terms of globalization, this difference remains significant. If to speak about pop art, in Western society it is associated with big money. There is a tendency to assume that the global art tends to follow the modern trends and is considered a part of a certain lifestyle associated with luxury¹.

People buy expensive paintings to show their success ad emphasize their social status. That is why recognizable and famous symbols and images are used. Pop art is focused on the satisfaction of these needs. Hence, by creating painting or sculptures of mass culture objects, the western pop blurs the boundaries between “high” and “low” culture and introduces a new phenomenon that reflects the current situation and attitude to artworks². Demand begets supply. For this reason, Western pop art is affected by consumerism as TV, radio, magazines, etc. contribute to the popularization of the given approach to artworks. In other words, art satisfies the needs of a certain social class, and that is why it is useless to distinguish “high” and “low” forms as there is a new perspective on the given question

Eastern pop art

Therefore, Eastern pop art differs from the above-mentioned one greatly. For instance, Chinese art uses humor, vernacular language, some motifs from the western pop culture, and socialist realism to create a certain object and show the world the idea of mass consumerism and realia expressed in advertisements³. However, there is also a great variety of forms and motifs explored even within the given direction. Chinese and Japanese arts differ greatly.

The famous artist Murakami does not just adhere to the ideas similar to those of western art; however, he creates new pop objects by his own⁴. The given fact shows us that one could hardly state the absence of consumerism and pragmatic issues in eastern art. There is also the tendency towards popularization and it’s becoming a part of the luxurious lifestyle. Especially topical this statement is for countries characterized by the high level of well-being of its population. In other words, if a person has enough money to buy a popular picture that will emphasize his/her significance and contribute to the growth of his/her popularity he/she will do it.

The difference is only in the way objects of the modern pop art look and is created. The usage of some satirical forms and approaches combined with the adherence to the derision of some phenomena of the Western pop culture could be considered one of the most significant peculiarities of Chinese modern art. Various reasons preconditioned the appearance of the given pattern; however, at the moment this difference remains significant. We should also say that pop art might be used as a powerful ideological tool to impact peoples mentality and trigger their dissatisfaction with the Western lifestyle and value system.

Conclusion

Altogether, revolving around the given issue, one could admit numerous tendencies peculiar to modern society. Great production assets and reconsideration of the approach to various objects preconditioned the evolution of consumerism and a specific attitude towards different phenomena. Being a part of society, art could not but respond to these alterations. Both Western and Eastern cultures come through the stage of reorganization and tend to reflect new ideas and values that appear⁵.

For this reason, there is no need for stating a certain threat to “high” art which might be endangered by modern pop culture. It just acts by peoples demands and tends to blur the boundaries between various perspectives on the way a certain artwork should look. It is possible to conclude that turning into a part of the luxurious lifestyle, modern art remains true to itself and helps society to reflect its most important peculiarities. Besides, there are significant differences in the methods chosen by the Western and Eastern artists as they adhere to the patterns appropriate to their cultures.

Bibliography

Beard, Nadia. “On show: from east to west, the legacy of Pop Art at London’s Saatchi Gallery.” The Calvert Journal. 2014. Web.

Hubbard, Clare. ” Are Western Pop Artists Embracing or Exploiting Eastern Culture?” The Diplomat. 2014. Web.

Saatchi Gallery. “Post Pop: East meets West.” Web.

Footnotes

1. Nadia Beard, “On show: from east to west, the legacy of Pop Art at London’s Saatchi Gallery,” The Calvert Journal, 2014. Web.
2. Saatchi Gallery, “Post Pop: East meets West,” Web.
3. Ibid.
4. Beard, “On show: from east to west, the legacy of Pop Art at London’s Saatchi Gallery.”
5. Clare Hubbard, “Are Western Pop Artists Embracing or Exploiting Eastern Culture?” The Diplomat, 2016. Web.