Richard Hamilton, 1976
Suppose we were to start with the objective of providing a unique solution to the specific requirement of a domestic environment e.g. some kind of shelter, some kind of equipment, some kind of art. This solution could then be formulated and rated on the basis of compliance with a table of characteristics of Pop Art.
- Popular (designed for mass audience)
- Transient (short term solution)
- Expendable (easily forgotten)
- Low Cost
- Mass Produced
- Young (aimed at Youth)
- Witty
- Sexy
- Gimmicky
- Glamorous
- Big Business
This is just a beginning. Perhaps the first part of our task is the analysis of Pop Art and the production of a table. I find I am not yet sure about the “sincerity” of Pop Art. It is not a characteristic of all but it is of some – at least, a pseudo-sincerity is. Maybe we have to subdivide Pop Art into its various categories and decide into which category each of the subdivisions of our project fits.
What do you think?”
Richard Hamilton (1957)
The complete letter to Alison and Peter Smithson can be found here: http://www.warholstars.org/warhol/warhol1/andy/warhol/articles/popart/hamilton.html (accessed 07/01/2023)
- Bracewell, Michael Modern World: The Art of Richard Hamilton (2021)
