Lowbrow is an art movement like many others. But what’s special about the Lowbrow Art movement is that it doesn’t really fit into a specific genre of art. That’s why it’s a bit of a venture to give it a definition.
This also reflects in the various names that Lowbrow Art has received over time. Lowbrow Art takes on different forms and styles in different regions, places, and social conditions. It is also widely known under the name of Pop Surrealism. Some refer to it as the ‘West Coast’ style or ‘Underground’, others call it ‘Neo-Pop’, ‘Pop-Art’ or ‘Kustom Kulture’, to only mention a few.
Lowbrow started out as an underground visual art movement around Los Angeles, California, in the late 1970s. In its early beginnings, it didn’t have any self-consciousness, so there wasn’t even a name for it. For many years, the ‘art establishment’ and mainstream critics didn’t recognize it as an art movement in its own right.
However, many ordinary people saw and LIKED the Lowbrow artworks – mostly paintings and digital compositions, but also toys and sculptures. Those people weren’t interested or educated in art history and they simply enjoyed the Pop Surrealist images.
This is what gave rise to Pop Surrealism and led to the first validation of the movement in the art world.