Pop Art in America
While pop art began in Britain, it is said to have thrived and prospered in America. There were various reasons that fueled the growth of pop art here. For one, people were more accepting to this form of art. Secondly, artists here were looking for new means of expression that related to popular culture. And thirdly, pop art came to America at the right time.Counter attack against abstract expressionism
Many believe that the art form emerged as a direct attack on abstract expressionism. It was the time when the latter was gaining popularity, and many artists believed that it lacked necessary art elements. Also abstract art was elitist in nature appealing to only a certain class of people. Pop was popular, relevant and used more figurative elements as compared to abstract art leading to its popularity.The right time
The art form emerged in America during the 1950s and 1960s. Many believe this to be a crucial phase in the world’s culture shifts. Mass media of entertainment like television, advertisements, commercials were coming up quickly. Globalization of pop music and youth culture was taking place. People were relating to these instruments of the media, and an art form related to it was timed right.The scope
Unlike abstract art that was limited to canvas or traditional art forms that could not easily be replicated or purchased, the scope of pop art in America was large. It could easily be mass-produced, replicated and reused. It could be displayed on canvas, but was not limited to it. Street walls, billboard signs, usual and unusual objects could all be worked on independently or brought together to create art. With this endless scope of what one could do with it, came its popularity.Important artists
While many artists joined to work for pop art, there were a few important painters to gave direction to this form of art. This included names of Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselman, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg and others. Each of these artists came up with their unique styles of depicting the modern world, and many of these ideas worked. Roy Lichtenstein, for example, used styles inspired by comic strips. Andy Warhol used bright contrasting colours. The work of Jasper Johns and Robert was known to be influenced by Dadaism, a prevailing art culture that poked fun at high brow art.Pop art in America flourished during the early years and continues to thrive. Various new arts came up with time. Street art, graffiti style of art and stenciling slowly became popular. Many artists shifted from abstract art to the world of pop, which was satisfying, entertaining and most importantly down-to-earth. Even today, exhibitions of pop art are commonly held. Various galleries in New York, Washington DC and other areas continue to display important artworks of pop icons. People continue to be inspired by these works. And new forms of art continue to develop from what the expert hands left us with.
Do You Need a Health Breakthrough? Consider a Wellness Program
Are you stuck in a health rut? Do you need some expert advice and support to help you make a breakthrough with your health? If so, you may benefit from taking part in a wellness program. In this article wellness coach Wesley Smith explains how wellness programs work to support you to get over your current health challenges and back onto the path of feeling good. Is it time you made some health supporting changes in your life? If you are ready to make some changes then you may be ready for a wellness program.What is WellnessWellness is feeling healthy and happy. Wellness is having the energy to put into those things that are meaningful in your life. Wellness can mean discovering what brings you meaning and satisfaction. Finding wellness means overcoming chronic health problems and making lifestyle changes that support your health goals.Set Your GoalsA wellness program starts with helping you to clarify your health goals. Reaching your goals is going to require you to make changes to your current lifestyle and that’s why it’s important to make the connection between the goals you want to reach and why you want to reach them. This may sound obvious but it is a crucial step to helping you sustain your effort throughout and beyond the program. It’s exploring the reasons why we want to do something that creates momentum. Take the goal of having more energy for example, having more energy is a great goal, but the crucial question is what are you going to do with that energy? Would having more energy mean you are no longer exhausted in the evening after work so you can do something you enjoy like an art class or a catch up with friends? Would you like to have more energy so you can keep up with your children or grandchildren? Would you like to go bushwalking, play sport, get fit again? Can you see how it’s the activity that is associated with having more energy that you can get excited about. You need to find your own personal examples that speak to and inspire you, so that the effort required to stick with your health supporting choices is able to be sustained. So step one is to define your goals within a time frame (for example 12 weeks) and then elaborate on how each goal will benefit you and use specific examples that really mean something to you and will inspire your sustained commitment to reaching your goals.Assess Your HealthThe next step is to get a clear assessment of your current state of health and what factors are underpinning your current health issues. If you understand what’s happened with your health then you have insight into what needs to change. It’s also helpful to understand your health strengths and weaknesses, which may include discussions about the state of your nervous system, immune system, endocrine system, the underlying health of your vital organs and your emotional and mental health. At this stage its really helpful to have a good wellness coach who can objectively see your health issues and has the experience to be able to help you prioritise what you have to do next. When you start out in a wellness program, it’s important to see progress to sustain your motivation and belief that you can be well. Its the wellness coach’s most important role to be able to see where you are stuck and give you relevant and personally meaningful advice that sets you back on track to your goals. Without that insight we can end up wasting a lot of time and effort and without the benefits we’re hoping to achieve. In other words, a good wellness coach can see where you are stuck and show you how to get unstuck.Individual Health ReportIn a wellness program, following on from your initial consultation, you will receive a comprehensive individual health report, which sets out your health goals as you have defined them, goes into detail about your current health status, the health issues that need to be address and the changes you need to make to to meet the goals that you have set. The health report allows the wellness coach to cover more than you can cover in a one hour consult, its also beneficial to have all the information in a written for so you can go over it again and again.Supporting TherapiesA wellness program also involves a number of treatments with specialist practitioners which may include a combination of acupuncture, massage, nutritional and herbal medicine consultations. These session are important to support the changes you are making in your lifestyle. For instance, if you are not sleeping well then the appropriate therapies will re-establish a regular sleep pattern. Change requires effort so having more restful and regular sleep can give you the boost you need to set you on your way. Treatment sessions are the extra support that helps ensure you make progress and don’t fall back or get stuck. You have the opportunity to discuss your experiences and to have your questions answered.Cultivating WellnessA wellness program also includes learning how to cultivate wellness. A wellness program needs to do more than solve your current health issues, its should set you up for life by teaching you how to continue to improve your health once the program is over. You know the saying about how if you give a mean a fish he has a meal for a day, but if you teach him how to fish he has food for life. The same principle applies to wellness, a good wellness coach will support you through helping you cultivate a healthy lifestyle as well as teaching you specific health promoting activities which may include nutritional principles, breathing practices, relaxation techniques and energy cultivation techniques that are relevant to your needs. That way you have the capacity to sustain your wellbeing beyond the program. The program is designed to help you get well, be well and live well.I hope this summary has helped you understand what a wellness program is and whether you could benefit from having some support to reach your health goals.Kind regards,Wesley SmithIf you would like to find out more about wellness programs please visit http://www.livewellnaturally.com.au/wellness-programs/ or if you would like to talk with a wellness coach you can contact the author at [email protected]
The Fun of Online Casinos
Gambling has been a great source of recreation for years. From ancient horse, camel and elephant races to the first card games, dice, and board games, there is always been a way to take a fun risk. Then, bingo, the lottery, poker, roulette wheels and other types of gambling got more popular. These days, many people who want to try their luck are moving to gaming in online casinos.Online casino betting is popular with everyone, and its a lot easier than making it to Vegas, a riverboat, or casinos that are out of the way. Just log in to your favorite online casino and start playing at the table or room that you like best. You might get lucky or you might not, but you’re sure to have a good time along the way.To bet in an online casino, all you really need is a credit card and to download the software. Once you are registered, you can start gaming, and there is no reason to take a road trip. Slots, cards, and plenty of other games are accessible twenty four hours a day from the comfort of your desk chair.A high speed Internet connection is required for most casinos online, because the action moves too fast for dial up. However, this is getting a lot easier to find, and online casinos remain really popular.There are a few things you should stick to if you want to make sure that online casino betting stays fun. One is never to borrow money or go over your budget. While casinos themselves and your credit card may offer loans for betting, they can be a real problem.Set a budget for your gaming, and if you lose the amount you have budgeted, take a break. Casino gaming should be fun, not a headache. Treat any winnings as a lucky bonus, not income. That will help you remember that it’s just a game and all for fun, instead of relying on that next big win.You should also make sure that you only deal with online casinos you trust. Look at reviews online to find out which casinos are known for being honest and reliable, then choose the one you like best.Be wary of promises of big money – casinos only stay in business because someone loses. While its fun to take a risk and see if you get lucky, you should not treat gaming as a sure thing. If you go into it with the right attitude, however online casino betting is a great way to pass the time.