Pop Art and the Cartoonify Generation

June 26, 2021

How is Pop Art evolving in the Cartoonify Generation of today?

We take it for granted everyday but so called Pop Art plays a very important role in the visual environment of our daily lives. In an era where the consumer milieu has shifted drastically from the physical social setting to the online and social media world, it’s important that we understand where this creative movement came from, how we benefit from it, and what’s in store for this artistic force moving forward in this trend-driven mash-up we call our society!

What is Pop Art?

Wikipedia defines Pop Art as an art movement that emerged from the United Kingdom and the United States in the decade spanning mid to late 1950. “Pop” is short for popular, as opposed to elitist culture that has shaped visual taste since the Renaissance period. The economic boom that succeeded World War 2 also gave rise to a burgeoning middle class hungry for self expression. While the tastemakers remained the avant-garde artists that predated the movement, their contributions became more readily available to the mass of society at an accelerated pace. In short, Pop Art is the movement that embodies visual expression of the people.

Pop Art and Consumer Culture

I think Pop Art gets a bad rap nowadays because it’s often associated with advertising and consumerism Historically this type of art became popular through the use in advertisements and product branding. While back in its heyday, this was all the rave because people equated material goods with status in society, in recent times due to concerns over waste and pollution caused by people’s consumerism this trend is becoming less popular; meanwhile, becoming more sustainable and environment-friendly is now taking greater importance in our society’s culture today.

Culture of Customization

This current generation is still looking for avenues to express themselves but without breaking the bank. With this need gap comes the variety of craftsmen and artists (such as myself!) who satisfy this need by providing people with customized goods or items that they can not only display but also use day to day.

Digital goods such as my TheCartoonist.Me style cartoonized photo not only gives people this opportunity for expression-- they can also use these crafted artworks as part of their online persona. A cartoonized picture can be used as your cartoon profile pic, your cartoon logo, and among other things that can be purely online and without them being printed on the physical space.

Reality is becoming more fuzzy, and while people feel that this trend is making things less authentic I beg to differ! I feel like parallel spaces both in the real and online enrich our lives and enable us to have multiple areas to grow and develop as humans. And since these artworks can exist on a purely digital space they also have the benefit of being more sustainable and exert less strain on our natural resources.

Collaborative Consumerism

I think that in the future, people will veer away from becoming purely consumers of goods and products and collaborate with brands and businesses to create their own customized items. This will increase the value of products for both the consumer, and the businesses that make these things. As the world becomes more decentralized and move towards more sustainable practices, I hope that my simple cartoonizer service can give the opportunity for people to express themselves to the limits of their imagination!

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