Eduardo Paolozzi: the true father of pop art?
There was once a time when art was a cultural exploit reserved only for the elites. If you wanted to see a work by somebody like Manet or Rembrandt, you would either have to visit a museum or be lucky enough to have some works within your private collection. To an extent, this is still the case in the modern day; the vast majority of the world’s artwork is locked away in private collections or archives. In the mid-20th century, however, a new modern art movement sought to bring art back into the hands of the masses, giving rise to the notion of pop art.
Pop art was born out of the idea that art is all around us, virtually unavoidable within every aspect of modern life. The paintings and sculptures that are on display within galleries and museums represent only a fraction of the world’s artwork, the artwork of advertisements, comic books and trading cards are much more widespread within society, so why should they be seen as lesser? Of course, the unique work of Andy Warhol is often credited with the beginnings of the pop art movement, Eduardo Paolozzi has just as much claim to the title.
Paolozzi found artistic inspiration at a young age, fascinated by cheap magazines, pulps and cigarette cards, all of which featured stunning and colourful artwork. Soon, he began to create drawings and paintings of his own, using these humble and mass-produced images as his main inspiration. Eventually, this led to a young Paolozzi being accepted into the prestigious Edinburgh College of Art.
You would be forgiven for thinking that this period at art school was when Paolozzi began to develop the pop art movement. In actual fact, the stuffy professors at Edinburgh were not overly pleased with the artist’s interest in advertisements and toys. “I was let in on the understanding that one could forget all that and go on to ‘real art’,” Paolozzi revealed during an interview with the BBC in 1971.
It was after his departure from Edinburgh, during his time living in Paris, that Paolozzi really found his footing. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jean Arp, Georges Braque, and Fernand Léger, the young artists soon found a penchant for surrealism and Dadaism, which can be seen within the works he created during this time, including wax sculptures made with the help of parts taken from industrial machines as well as everyday objects.
Upon returning to the United Kingdom in the mid-1950s, Paolozzi developed upon these surrealist influences he had been exposed to in Paris. Tirelessly creating work spanning many different art styles and formats, with sculpture and collage being particular favourites. In fact, his 1947 collage, entitled I was a Rich Man’s Plaything, is often considered the first instance of pop art, arriving years before Warhol’s silkscreens.
It seems clear that Paolozzi is, indeed, the true father of the pop art movement. However, that title does feel a little reductive. After all, his work was so much more than ‘pop art’, it was groundbreaking and beautiful, capturing our daily lives and reflecting them back to us. When you see Paolozzi’s work, you come away with a newfound appreciation for the artwork that surrounds you on a day-to-day basis and, in the eyes of many, that is his most profound effect.
