Pop Surrealism: The Rise of Underground Art

Comprehensive and detailed.

It's on the surface and all over all around you. Mind as well take it in and enjoy it. Play with it. There isn't any escaping it really. I like the idea of taking what is around you, some of which has been spoon fed to you since you were an infant laying on the carpet in front of the TV -just a relentless onslaught of media images, memes, symbols, this American mass culture or popular culture- and regurgitating it. Throw it back up after having processed it a bit and make something interesting, maybe more interesting, out of it. Well, that is what's going on with some of this stuff. And some of it is coming from who knows where and some of it seems to be taken right off a shelf and repackaged.Much of the art described as "lowbrow" and/or "pop surrealism" at this point has been widely visible and familiar to much of the public. So the surreal or weird becomes regular (as it often does). "Underground" in the title means not in museums or the top art galleries. I guess I don't care for the idea or metaphor of "underground". It doesn't make much sense to me, but anyway. I love some of this art, some of it not so much. If your unfamiliar and curious just check out an issue of "Juxtapoz" at Barnes and Noble or most book stores in the mall.As far as this book goes, if you got 30 plus bucks to spend, it could make for a good coffee table book I suppose. It contains some essays worth reading if your interested in this art, including one by Robert Williams who is a central figure of the so-called lowbrow art scene. I don't agree with some of what these guys have to say, but they're interesting. There are nice selections from many of the most respected and influential artists of "pop surrealism" which, btw, is more or less refering to most of the art classified as "lowbrow", depending on who you ask.

I love the art in this book and cannot get enough--for years I found the price prohibitive, glad it came down a bit now I have this treasure forever. Yes, there's little text but in the end I seldom read text over more than once. This is all about the images and it's wonderful. Glad I got it, highly recommended as coffee table book, convo piece or bedside pleasantry

Well done. Great illustrations and interesting too. Well worth the cost.

Good resource that scratched the surface of the Pop Surrealist movement and dug a bit deeper - good starting point for anyone interested in the genre. Covers about two dozen artists.

Great survey, okay price. I love this book.

I thought it was a theory book. Too little text and too many images with no information. A picture book with a intro

Great book to get a well laid out view of the pop art of our times.While the mainstream media ignores low brow art as if it doesn't exist, on the contrary it is very successful amongst the many who grew up on comic books, Mad Magazine, monsters, tv shows, and so on.A great overview book, you can't go wrong with it.

Great little introductory volume into the world of Pop Surrealist art.Many of the main figures of the movement are represented, including Todd Schorr, Robert Williams, Mark Ryden, Joe Coleman, etc.; there are over 150 full-colour images by 23 artists all printed on quality, glossy art-paper, with three short but illuminating introductory essays.Since this was published in 2004, the Pop Surrealist movement has mushroomed and is now recognised as a subversive global art movement; this is a nice guide to where it began – inspiring and fun to leaf through.

This is a beautiful book. There's a load of well printed pictures in the book which I find a plus in a book about art. The book itself is very sturdy and heavy and well made in every way. I gave it to my daughter for Christmas and she looooved it!

Sister in law loved it as a birthday present - really good book and it's ageing well. Would recommend it

Beautiful and engrossing, high quality hard back. Well worth the money.

A brilliant book, great for homework, great for art teachers, good and varied examples of artist work and background. 5*