How did Pop art differ from Abstract Expressionism?

Pop art and Abstract Expressionism represented fundamentally different approaches to art, with Pop art emerging as a direct reaction against the dominance of the latter.1

The primary differences include:

• Subject Matter: Abstract Expressionism emphasized abstraction, often avoiding recognizable forms from the visible world to focus on psychic improvisation and the creative unconscious. In contrast, Pop art utilized commonplace, recognizable objects from popular culture, such as comic strips, soup cans, and advertisements.21
• Emotional Expression: Abstract Expressionism was highly personal, prioritizing the artist's spontaneous emotional expression and the physical qualities of paint to evoke feelings like dynamism or mystery. Pop art sought to be objective and impersonal, presenting its iconography without explicit praise or condemnation.21
• Technique: While Abstract Expressionists often used intuitive, unstudied applications of paint—such as the "Action painting" of Jackson Pollock—Pop artists frequently employed precise commercial techniques, including silk-screening and mechanical reproduction, to mirror the mass-produced nature of their subjects.12
• Philosophy: Pop art was iconoclastic, rejecting the "high art" pretensions of the past and the personal intensity of Abstract Expressionism in favor of a democratic, easily comprehensible style that reflected a consumer-driven society.13