The end of WWII in 1945 brought about a post-war economic boom to the U.S. It also brought about an enormous spike in the birth rate, known as “the baby boom.” By the middle 1960s, most of these kids were young adults. ("Psychedelic 60S”) These young adults questioned America’s materialism and conservative cultural and political norms. The Psychedelic Aesthetic of the 1960s ushered in significant cultural changes by advocating for an egalitarian society free from discrimination.

The rejection of social norms in the 60s created several counterculture groups that addressed controversial social issues from civil rights, the Vietnam War, nuclear proliferation, and the environment to drug use, sexual freedom, and nonconformity. ("Psychedelic 60S") Fueled by the hallucinogenic drug LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) a unique artistic expression was created informed by the notion that an altered state of consciousness produced by psychedelic drugs are a source of artistic inspiration. ("Psychedelic Art - Wikipedia")

Inspired by Art Nouveau, the Psychedelic Aesthetic hasdistinctive curvilinear forms, bright and bold colors with high contrast to convey a psychedelic experience.

Following the post-war economic revival and subsequent baby boom, young adults started to seek a spiritual awaking and a new social ideology for humanity. They questioned America’s materialism and social cultural and political norms. Psychedelic Aesthetic of the 1960s was born with the help of the hallucinogenic drug LSD. This new counterculture resisted the established social structures and expressed their resistance through artistic design using the Psychedelic Aesthetic. The counterculture of the 60s also advocated for the end of gender and racial discrimination and addressed controversial social issues from civil rights, the Vietnam War, nuclear proliferation, and the environment to drug use, sexual freedom, and nonconformity. ("Psychedelic 60S")

The social climate of the time was ripe for the second wave of the Feminist Movement. After World War II, the lives of women in developed countries changed dramatically. The growth of the service sector created thousands of jobs not dependent on physical strength. Despite these socioeconomic transformations, cultural attitudes and legal precedents still reinforced sexual inequalities. (Burkett) Women made great strides in liberating themselves from the socially accepted feminine role, but it would take many more years for the feminine roles to evolve and transform the art that goes with it.

"Psychedelic 60S". Graphic Design History, 2018, https://visualartsdepartment.wordpress.com/psychedelic-60s/.

"Psychedelic Art - Wikipedia". En.Wikipedia.Org, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_art.

Burkett, Elinor. "Women’s Rights Movement | Political And Social Movement". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020, https://www.britannica.com/event/womens-movement.