Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Pop Grades 87, 89, or 92
Pop culture comes in different grades. There is the purest pop culture, lowbrow pop, which requires no work from the observer. Enjoying the painting of the dogs playing pokers is immediate; no need for an MFA to enjoy this beauty.
Then there is a middlebrow pop. At this level you still can get the point of the work quickly, but you need some background information to fully enjoy it. Pieces at this level have references to other works of pop culture. The Red Hot Chilli Pepper's 1988 album cover of naked men walking on a street makes a point right away, yet it only makes total sense if you know the cover of the Beatles' Abby Road album.
Highbrow pop is not immediate. It is pop in its techniques and origin, but the observer needs to be trained to enjoy these works. The comic strip Zippy the Pinhead is an example; many people do not understand it.
Its intentions are those of high art, but it still looks too crass to fully belong to that category.
Of course there is a continuum from pure pop to high pop, but this classification can be useful for further discussions.
Then there is a middlebrow pop. At this level you still can get the point of the work quickly, but you need some background information to fully enjoy it. Pieces at this level have references to other works of pop culture. The Red Hot Chilli Pepper's 1988 album cover of naked men walking on a street makes a point right away, yet it only makes total sense if you know the cover of the Beatles' Abby Road album.
Highbrow pop is not immediate. It is pop in its techniques and origin, but the observer needs to be trained to enjoy these works. The comic strip Zippy the Pinhead is an example; many people do not understand it.
Its intentions are those of high art, but it still looks too crass to fully belong to that category.
Of course there is a continuum from pure pop to high pop, but this classification can be useful for further discussions.
