From the Absurd Theatre of Samuel Beckett to the Figurative Aesthetics of Pop Art Culture

Abstract

At the core of the Absurd Theatre lie the seeds of postmodernity. This article explains some of the possible features of the absurd that precede the emergence of new movements in Visual Arts. A contemporary reading of Beckett’s plays viewed through the lens of pop culture could open new perspectives in approaching the work of this great playwright. An abyss of nothingness and a lack of horizons create the industrialization of the consumer society that postmodern humanity is forced to confront.

The seriality, the cloistered universe of the absurd theatre plays, the promise of an alienated happiness doubled by a decay and a desacralization of the hero-type character, foreshadow the aesthetic of the figurative arts in the pop culture. This cultural movement is represented and illustrated in this article by works of art signed by꞉ Jasper Johns, Dmitri Vrubel, Claes Oldenburg, Arman and Robert Rauschenberg.