Richard William Hamilton CH was an English painter and collage artist. His 1955 exhibition Man, Machine and Motion (Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne) and his 1956 collage Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, produced for the This Is Tomorrow exhibition of the Independent Group in London, are considered by critics and historians to be among the earliest works of pop art. A major retrospective of his work was at Tate Modern until May 2014.
Hamilton was born in Pimlico, London on February 24, 1922. Despite having left school with no formal qualifications, he managed to gain employment as an apprentice working at an electrical components firm, where he discovered an ability for draughtsmanship and began to do painting at evening classes at Saint Martin's School of Art and at the Westminster School of Art. In 1938, he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Arts.
After spending the World War II working as a technical draftsman, he re-enrolled at the Royal Academy Schools but was expelled in 1946 on grounds of "not profiting from the instruction". Loss of his student status forced Hamilton to carry out National Service. After two years at the Slade School of Art, University College, London, Hamilton began exhibiting his work at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), where he also produced posters and leaflets. He taught at the Central School of Art and Design from 1952 until 1966.
Hamilton's early work was much influenced by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson's 1917 text On Growth and Form. In 1952, at the first Independent Group meeting, held at the ICA, Hamilton was introduced to Eduardo Paolozzi's seminal presentation of collages produced in the late 1940s and early 1950s that are now considered to be the first standard bearers of Pop Art. Also in 1952, he was introduced to the Green Box notes of Marcel Duchamp through Roland Penrose, whom Hamilton had met at the ICA. At the ICA, Hamilton was responsible for the design and installation of a number of exhibitions including one on James Joyce and The Wonder and the Horror of the Human Head that was curated by Penrose. It was also through Penrose that Hamilton met Victor Pasmore who gave him a teaching post based in Newcastle Upon Tyne which lasted until 1966. Among the students Hamilton tutored at Newcastle in this period were Rita Donagh, Mark Lancaster, Tim Head, Roxy Music founder Bryan Ferry and Ferry's visual collaborator Nicholas de Ville. Hamilton's influence can be found in the visual styling and approach of Roxy Music. He described Ferry as "his greatest creation". Ferry repaid the compliment, naming him in 2010 as the living person he most admired, saying "he greatly influenced my ways of seeing art and the world".
Hamilton gave a 1959 lecture, "Glorious Technicolor, Breathtaking Cinemascope and Stereophonic Sound", a phrase taken from a Cole Porter lyric in the 1957 musical Silk Stockings. In that lecture, which sported a pop soundtrack and the demonstration of an early Polaroid camera, Hamilton deconstructed the technology of cinema to explain how it helped to create Hollywood’s allure. He further developed that theme in the early 1960s with a series of paintings inspired by film stills and publicity shots.
The post at the ICA also afforded Hamilton the time to further his research on Duchamp, which resulted in the 1960 publication of a typographic version of Duchamp's Green Box, which comprised Duchamp's original notes for the design and construction of his famous work The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, also known as The Large Glass. Hamilton's 1955 exhibition of paintings at the Hanover Gallery were all in some form a homage to Duchamp. In the same year Hamilton organized the exhibition Man Machine Motion at the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle. Designed to look more like an advertising display than a conventional art exhibition the show prefigured Hamilton's contribution to the This Is Tomorrow exhibition in London, at the Whitechapel Gallery the following year. Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? was created in 1956 for the catalogue of This Is Tomorrow, where it was reproduced in black and white and also used in posters for the exhibit. The collage depicts a muscle-man provocatively holding a Tootsie Pop and a woman with large, bare breasts wearing a lampshade hat, surrounded by emblems of 1950s affluence from a vacuum cleaner to a large canned ham. Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? is widely acknowledged as one of the first pieces of Pop Art. Hamilton's written definition of what "pop" is laid the ground for the whole international movement. Hamilton's definition of Pop Art from a letter to Alison and Peter Smithson dated 16 January 1957 was: "Pop Art is: popular, transient, expendable, low-cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous, and Big Business", stressing its everyday, commonplace values. He thus created collages incorporating advertisements from mass-circulation newspapers and magazines.

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Richard Hamilton, a renowned British artist, is widely regarded as the founder of the Pop Art movement. Born on February 24, 1922, in London, Hamilton's innovative approach to art left an indelible mark on the art world. His early works, such as Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?, created in 1956, are considered some of the first Pop Art pieces.

Early Life and Education

Hamilton's interest in art began at a young age. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools and later at the Slade School of Art, where he was taught by William Coldstream. His early work was influenced by the Surrealist movement, but he soon developed his own unique style.

The Independent Group and Pop Art

In the early 1950s, Hamilton became a member of the Independent Group, a group of artists, architects, and critics who discussed popular culture, including films, books, advertising, and innovative technologies. This group, which included Eduardo Paolozzi, Lawrence Alloway, and Peter Smith, played a significant role in shaping Hamilton's artistic style. His collage works, such as My Marilyn (Paste Up), created in 1965, are exemplary of the Pop Art movement.

Notable Works and Collaborations

Hamilton's collaboration with the Beatles on the cover design for their White Album in 1968 is a notable example of his work. He also created a series of paintings based on the conflicts in Northern Ireland, including The Citizen, The Subject, and The State. These works showcase Hamilton's ability to balance pop art with more serious themes.

• Glorious Techniculture, a painting that exemplifies Hamilton's unique style, can be found on WahooArt.com.
• Hamilton's Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? is considered one of the first Pop Art pieces and can be seen on WahooArt.com.
• More information about Hamilton's life and work can be found on WahooArt.com.

Legacy and Impact

Hamilton's influence on the art world is undeniable. His collage works, such as Pin-up, have become iconic representations of the Pop Art movement. As a pioneer of British Pop Art, Hamilton's legacy continues to inspire artists and art enthusiasts alike. His work can be found in various museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and his paintings continue to be celebrated for their unique blend of popular culture and fine art.

Richard Hamilton fue un pintor y artista británico nacido en 1922 en Londres, Reino Unido. Es considerado uno de los pioneros del movimiento Pop Art, que surgió en la década de 1950. Su obra más famosa es la collación Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, creada en 1956.

Infancia y Formación

Hamilton nació en una familia trabajadora y se interesó por el dibujo desde una edad temprana. Comenzó a estudiar arte en la Royal Academy School de Londres, donde conoció a otros artistas que compartían su interés por la cultura popular. Más tarde, estudió pintura en la Slade School of Art, donde se formó bajo la tutela del instructor William Coldstream.

El Movimiento Pop Art

Hamilton fue uno de los fundadores del movimiento Pop Art, que surgió como una reacción a la cultura popular y la publicidad. Su obra Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? es considerada una de las primeras obras del movimiento Pop Art. En esta obra, Hamilton combinó imágenes de la cultura popular con técnicas tradicionales de arte para crear una nueva forma de expresión.

Obra y Legado

Hamilton creó muchas otras obras notables, como My Marilyn (Paste Up) y la portada del álbum The White Album de los Beatles. Su obra ha sido exhibida en museos y galerías de todo el mundo, incluyendo la Kunsthalle Tübingen en Alemania. Hamilton también fue un pionero en la experimentación con la técnica de collación, que se convirtió en una característica clave del movimiento Pop Art.

• Visite la página de Richard Hamilton en WahooArt para ver más sobre su obra y vida.
• Lea más sobre el movimiento Pop Art en la Wikipedia.
• Descubra las obras de Hamilton en la Kunsthalle Tübingen y otras galerías en WahooArt.

Hamilton falleció el 13 de septiembre de 2011, pero su legado como pionero del movimiento Pop Art sigue siendo relevante en la historia del arte. Su obra y experimentación con la técnica de collación han influido en generaciones de artistas y siguen siendo una fuente de inspiración para muchos.