Meaning of Popular Art
Art is a concept that comes from the Latin word ars and that refers to man’s creations that express his sensitive vision of the world through the use of various sound, linguistic and plastic resources.
In the case of popular, we would have to say that it is also a word that comes, etymologically speaking, from Latin. Specifically, we could highlight that it emanates from the noun “popularis”, which is made up of two components: the word “populus”, which can be translated as “people”, and the suffix “-ar”, which is equivalent to “relative to”.
Popular, meanwhile, is an adjective that indicates what belongs to or is related to the people. Among its various meanings, the term refers to what comes from the population and what reaches most of the people.
The notion of popular art, therefore, can have different meanings. There are those who consider that popular art is formed by the artistic manifestations that the people create and consume, as opposed to high culture or academic culture.
An earthenware pot created by a craftsman to collect water is an example of folk art, while a painting on a canvas displayed in a museum would belong to elite art. These limits, however, are fuzzy.
Folk art, on the other hand, may be given by artistic creations that are consumed on a massive scale and that are usually susceptible to reproduction on an industrial scale. In this sense, a Latin music singer who sells millions of records can be considered a popular artist.
In addition to all the above, it is necessary that we have very clear other main characteristics of this so-called popular art:
• It has its origin in the Renaissance. And it was then when the artist, who until now had made works for a very specific and minority audience such as the upper classes or the kings, decided to undertake works so that they can be enjoyed and acquired by all those who want it.
• However, experts agree in stressing that it would be in the 18th century, when the Industrial Revolution took place, when the existence of this popular art became more evident. At that moment there will be an art of generalized use and another more particular.
• Popular art, making use of a historical expression turned into a classic, is an art “of the people and for the people”.
• When talking about this type of art, it cannot be said that it corresponds to a specific historical period since it does not have periods.
• As a general rule, when talking about him, no reference is made to particular people.
• The appearance and development of new technologies have made popular art grow more and more.
The pop art or pop art, finally, is an artistic movement that emerged in the twentieth century from the use of images of popular culture present in the media. Pop artists like Andy Warhol used to take advertisements or comic books to create works of art.