When you hear the name Lowbrow Art for the first time, it probably doesn’t tell you anything. Yes, you know a brow. But what on earth is a low brow? And what are brows to do with art?
Well, to solve these mysteries let’s get right into it and see what Lowbrow Art means.
What does Lowbrow Art mean?
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.
What subcultures influenced the Lowbrow Art movement?
Lowbrow emerged on the West Coast of America, particularly around Los Angeles, California.
The cultural influences of the Lowbrow Art movement are many. The artists drew inspiration from street art, underground comic, punk rock motifs, tiki culture, tattoo parlors, and experimental illustration. Other influences came from Japanese anime and pulp art.
The goal of the movement was to get a rise out of convention. In this respect, it was very much like Surrealism Art. Initially, Lowbrow was a revolt against political and social norms and against the academic conceptualism of the 1960s.
The great majority of lowbrow artists was self-taught and were nothing to do with fine art. The artists were well aware of the ‘rules’ of art. However, they unapologetically didn’t follow them…
Lowbrow prevailed, developed and made its way into the 21st century. Digital lowbrow artists have been enriching the movement since 2000, when computer technology and digital image editing software launched on the market.
What is the Lowbrow culture today?
Today, the Lowbrow movement has its firmly secured position in the art world.
This is primarily thanks to the efforts of Lowbrow artist Robert Williams. He founded the Juxtapoz Magazine back in 1994. This step significantly helped legitimize the movement and gain it worldwide recognition.
Juxtapoz was the first ‘official home’ for all types of Lowbrow artworks. It also was a refuge for lowbrow artists to display their work, draw inspiration and connect with like-minded art enthusiasts.
The magazine is still being published today and it’s the second most-read art magazine in the U.S.!
Many other magazines joined in along the way, such as the Hi-Fructose Magazine. Many galleries in the U.S. and all around the world display lowbrow artworks. 01 Gallery in New York and the Psychedelic Solutions Gallery in Los Angeles are two top exhibition halls for Lowbrow Art in the United States.
Apart from Robert Williams as mentioned above, Mark Ryden, Audrey Kawasaki, and Tara McPherson are some of the leading artists in the movement nowadays.
With all that said… Lowbrow definitely has its validated place in the contemporary fine art arena and it’s here for us to stay and enjoy! 💙
(All images displayed in this post are copyright to their respective owners and solely used for educational purposes.)
I hope you learned something new from this article and found it helpful. If you enjoyed, consider commenting and sharing this post with other art enthusiasts! Thanks for reading and see you on the next post, Angie 🌷
