Many of our artworks feature retro imagery, from retro comic books to games, tv, and comic characters, demonstrating that contemporary artists embrace retro aesthetics in their art and incorporate cultural references from the past. By capturing the essence of past times, the artists in the Retro and Vintage collection evoke nostalgia, allowing the viewer to connect with popular culture from their own or previous generations and creating a sense of shared experiences and cultural history and a longing for simpler times.
3D Little Big Space by Invader
Art and popular culture have a long and illustrious history, as the dissemination of popular culture by mass media has provided a wealth of source material and inspiration for artists. Popular and commercial culture began to inspire and be incorporated into art in the mid-1950s. This acceptance and celebration of advertising, comic books, and ordinary objects saw the fusion of ‘low’ and ‘high’ forms of art. As well as providing intriguing source material that appealed to a wider audience than more traditional art, it critiqued consumerism.
Pinball-O-Rama by Terry Pastor
Emerging simultaneously in the US and the UK, Pop Art reached its peak in the 1960s. The influence of the Pop Art pioneers is still prevalent today, from the creation of art through mass-producing methods such as silk screen printing as made famous by Andy Warhol, to the use and representation of mundane cultural motifs and objects. A shift can however be seen in artists turning their gaze back to the popular culture of previous generations, creating a sense of cultural nostalgia and recognition.
In this curated collection of artworks, artists draw on retro comic books, games tv, comic characters and motifs. Created before the proliferation and intense improvements of technology, these elements of popular culture are much-loved memorabilia of what some may deem a ‘simpler time.’ They reject the ‘artificial’ and ‘synthetic’ high-definition aesthetic of contemporary culture in favour of subject matter that recalls childhood memories and collective nostalgic memory. Though diverging from contemporary popular culture, the sources remain familiar and relatable. As we live in an era of rapid global technological reform, the artworks in this collection can be seen to express a yearning for greater simplicity that mirrors the increasing preference for vintage and retro sensibilities, from film photography to record players.
Sources of Pop Art IV by Peter Blake
Sir Peter Blake is a contemporary artist living and working in London. Known and celebrated for his association with the Pop Art movement and his creation of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, Peter Blake art encompasses painting, sculpture, collages and graphic art. During Blake’s long career, he has exhibited extensively and has explored various styles and subjects, focusing primarily on themes of idolatry and stardom.
Contemporary artist Nick Smith repurposes iconic artworks and distorts them through methods of pixelation. Smith meticulously arranges small chips of colour swatches to create a collage of pixels. By juxtaposing classic art with modern digitalisation, Nick is making a commentary on the unforgiving culture of the modern digital world, whilst making the historic work relevant and accessible today, with his stylised pop art practice.
Campbell's Soup, Tomato by Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol's work reflects a fascination with celebrity status, consumerism, and the banality of American commercial culture. Warhol’s famous repetitive silkscreen prints of everyday objects from Campbell Soup cans to Coca-Cola bottles criticise the materialistic outlook of mainstream American society, and his garish portraits of celebrities comment on the dehumanisation of the public figure. His work has had a huge impact on art and culture and continues to inspire many contemporary artists.
Feeling inspired to travel back in time with art? Check out our Retro and Vintage Collection.
