What is Pop Surrealism?

What is Pop Surrealism? Its hard to define exact characteristics of Pop Surrealism and Lowbrow Art. Pop Surrealism / Lowbrow Art is an underground, pop-culture-infused art scene with its origins in 1970s Southern California. Original Pop Surrealism / Lowbrow Art was heavily influenced by underground comix and hot rod car-culture. As the lowbrow style has spread around the world, this movement developed, there may be a branching into different strands and even whole new art movements. As the Godfather of Pop Surrealism is considered Mark Ryden who is inspired with modern pop culture but in the same time also by old masters and vintage fairytales, mystery and also symbolism which is characteristic for surreal movement. Pop Surrealism / Lowbrow art is breaking the wall between high art (fine art from mainstream galleries) and low art (tattoo, illustrations, comics books and so), between popular culture and high art culture, between fine art and folk art. There are still some art critics that are in doubt that Pop Surrealism / Lowbrow Art is a legitimate art movement and they are uncertain as to the status of this movement in relation to the fine art world, however Pop Surrealism and Lowbrow became so popular that some art critics started to pay attention to this movement. Today many pop surreal artists exhibite their works in galleries specialized in pop culture art all over the world.

(Art by Mark Ryden)