February Arts Off 75: Pop Culture and Pop Art

“L’amour, l’amour!”

This line from one of my favorite films from the heyday of Old Hollywood, “The Women,” a deliciously anachronistic, campy pop culture gem, is the perfect description of February. This month is all about the aim of Cupid’s arrow and the follies of the heart. And indeed, there is so much to love on this month’s arts and cultural calendar in Southwest Ohio. From a musical mash-up of Beethoven and Beyoncé performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra to a theatrical adaptation of the bestselling novel “Life of Pi,” February’s cultural calendar is a feast for the senses.

I’m also excited about a new Pop Art exhibit at the Dayton Art Institute – it’s a style that has always intrigued me. This collection belongs to Dayton-native Stephen Bradley “Brad” Gillaugh and this is a rare chance to see these revolutionary pieces up close and consider their impact.

Pop Art emerged as a movement in the mid-20th century, primarily in the 1950s and 1960s, focusing on popular culture and mass media. It challenged traditional notions of fine art by incorporating imagery and techniques from advertising, comic books, consumer goods and everyday objects. Often marked by bold colors, repetition and irony, Pop Art provided a commentary on the commercialism and materialism of modern society. Artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Richard Hamilton became iconic figures of the movement, blending high art with low culture to make art more accessible and reflective of contemporary life.

As a teenager growing up in Dayton, my friends and I would make weekly trips to Wilke’s News downtown where we would pick up the latest editions of our favorite comics—I was an X-Men fan to the end. Wilke’s was, in many ways, our window to the world outside Dayton. They carried magazines and newspapers from across the globe, and in those pre-internet days, it was our version of a search engine. On one of these Saturday trips, a magazine caught my eye: Andy Warhol’s “Interview.” Amidst the plethora of printed material, this oversized magazine stood out to me. Printed on paper that was just a step above the newsprint, it featured colorful, bold and stylized portraits of celebrities and cultural icons on its covers. The vivid colors and artistic techniques blurred the lines between photography and illustration, embodying the Pop Art aesthetic. I pored over those magazines, reading them cover to cover.

Looking back, “Interview” presaged my lifelong passion for pop culture. It shaped my understanding of art and color theory and how they intersect with cultural expression. The magazine’s radical merging of high and pop culture was emblematic of a more significant shift in worldview, introducing new icons into the visual language of art and awareness.

I felt the full manifestation of that shift when I was recently sitting in the audience of Six the Musical at the Schuster Center. The show, a history lesson about the wives of Henry VIII set to a pop beat, exemplifies the enduring influence of Pop Art on pop culture. When you visit the Dayton Art Institute to see the exhibition of Brad Gillaugh’s collection, consider how these pieces revolutionized culture forever. Reflect on their beauty and engagement and how they challenged and changed the artistic landscape. For me, they’ll always serve as a reminder of how growing up during that period shaped my artistic journey. Hopefully, they’ll inspire you to consider the incredible power of these artistic giants as well.

Learn more about the local arts events and exhibits that I’ve marked on my calendar for February:

Rodney Veal
CET and ThinkTV Producer and Community Arts Liaison