How did British Pop art differ in style and attitude from American Pop art?

British and American Pop art differed significantly in their intellectual approach and overall ethos:

• British Pop Art: This movement emerged largely as a form of academic inquiry. Early practitioners, such as the Independent Group, were committed to a cerebral exploration of culture, bridging the gap between "high" art and popular imagery. Their work often featured esoteric references and a more intellectual, analytical cast, as seen in the collages of Richard Hamilton or the sculptural interests of Eduardo Paolozzi.1

• American Pop Art: Developing later, around 1962–64, the American movement was notably brasher and more objective. Artists adopted the precise commercial techniques of mass media to present iconography—such as comic books and advertising—with overwhelming immediacy. While British Pop was often reflective and academic, American Pop aimed for an impersonal, urbane attitude, rejecting the personal expressionism of the past in favor of a democratic, universally accessible style that mirrored the consumer-driven reality of the United States.1