| Also known as Cubist Realism, and related to the Art | | | | artists like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, bringing the |
| Deco movement, Precisionism was developed in the | | | | definition to come to mean one of low-cost |
| United States after World War I. The term for this | | | | mass-produced and gimmicky artwork, and stressing |
| movement was coined in the 1920s, and influenced by | | | | everyday values with common sources like product |
| the Cubist and Futurist movements; the main themes | | | | packaging and celebrity photographs. |
| for these paintings were mainly regarding | | | | By exploring that fraction of everyday imagery, the |
| industrialization and modernization of the American | | | | artists found themselves working with contemporary |
| landscape. These elements were depicted with the | | | | consumer culture, and this became apparent in parts |
| use of precise and sharply defined geometrical | | | | of Britain, Spain, and Japan around the same point in |
| shapes, a reverence for the industrial age, but with | | | | time. In Britain in particular, where pop art seemed to |
| social commentary not a directly fundamental part. | | | | stem from at that point in 1947, and many works |
| The degrees of abstraction ran the spectrum as | | | | began blurring the boundaries between art and |
| some works had photo realistic qualities, and though | | | | advertising. Whereas in Spain, the movement became |
| the movement had no presence outside of the United | | | | interrelated with the “new figurative”, the work |
| States, the artists that made up this particular grouping | | | | arose from the roots of informalism which began to |
| were a closely knit collective remaining active through | | | | be a critical aspect in this part of the world. |
| to the 1930s. Georgia O’Keefe remained as one of | | | | In Japan, pop art has been seen and utilized throughout |
| the leading proponents of this style, and stayed so for | | | | much of the country’s native artwork through such |
| many years afterwards until the 1960s, her husband | | | | means as Anime and the “superflat” styles of |
| was a highly regarded mentor for the group. In a post | | | | art, and became the means through which the artists |
| post-Expressionist phase of life in the art world, | | | | could further critique their own culture through a more |
| Precisionism has affected and influenced the | | | | satirical lens. When choosing a stimulating piece by |
| movements of magic realism which utilizes aspects | | | | these artists, it may be a more invigorating exercise to |
| such as juxtaposing of forward movement with a | | | | find some of those other artists to whom these later |
| sense of distance, and pop art in which themes from | | | | artists owe much of their inspiration towards their own |
| mass culture were used to define art much there | | | | work, and Precisionism is just as appropriate a place to |
| forward. | | | | start for you as anywhere else in the artistic spectrum. |
| Just after the 1950s began, the movement of pop art | | | | Today, Precisionism can be seen as fundamental |
| was clear in places such as Britain and the United | | | | influence in commercial and popular art, but cannot be |
| States, and employed elements of advertising and | | | | too overlooked as being one of a few different |
| comic books to create a foundation that might have | | | | movements to affect our present day stance on |
| been taken as a reaction to the then popular | | | | art’s utility and functions. With the postmodern |
| movement of abstract expressionism. Though the | | | | present coming to light, maybe we shall once again be |
| term wasn’t coined until 1958, it was later linked | | | | drawn back to the past that we have come to take |
| with Dadaism from the beginning of the century, and at | | | | for granted too often, and reveal a new age to define |
| one point was called Neo-Dada because of the strong | | | | a new century of experience. |
| influence from artist Marcel Duchamp. Later affecting | | | | |