whitley bay 1966

Richard Hamilton made this print, "Whitley Bay," using computer-generated techniques. It presents an image of leisure, but it does so through the cool lens of technology. Hamilton was a British artist deeply involved in the Pop Art movement. The image evokes the cultural shift in postwar Britain, where increased leisure time and access to consumer goods became increasingly important. The beach setting itself symbolizes a new kind of democratic space, where people from different classes mix and enjoy themselves. Yet, Hamilton's approach is not simply celebratory. He uses digital manipulation to subtly question the nature of perception, the place of technology in everyday life, and the construction of modern leisure. Looking at periodicals and advertisements from the time can tell us more about the context of this work. We can thus consider how Hamilton both embraced and critiqued the changing social norms of his era.