Against Indeterminacy

Abstract

Unlike that of its main precursor Abstract Expressionism, the academic discourse surrounding Pop Art has not undergone an extensive social–historical revision. While it has become almost second nature for many scholars to examine the art of Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, for instance, in terms of Cold War politics or mid-century conceptions of masculinity, Pop Art, when considered within its specific historical conditions, is often addressed in terms of the rather predictable (if undeniably relevant) burgeoning postwar commodity culture. With the exception of the work of Andy Warhol and a few significant studies of other artists associated with the movement, Pop, like its historical counterpart minimalism, has been frequently treated as a homogeneous occurrence, sacrificing fundamental differences various artistic practices and, equally important, preventing close analysis of individual works. Certainly a key factor to this paucity of visual and historical interpretation can be located in the works themselves. From Jasper...