Roy Lichtenstein
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
I've been meaning to do this for a while, with the intention of possibly doing something of a series highlighting artists. I thought i'd start with Lichtenstein because a) i love his art, b) he turned me onto pop art as a genre, and c) he was the second artist to pop into my head. First is perhaps the most obvious, Monet, which i will get to, perhaps even next. But you don't get much more cliche than starting with Monet.I began to appreciate Lichtenstein the first time i went to Wash D.C. My wife and i went to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and i really got to see one of his paintings up close. You can see the drawn lines around the circles where a pattern was laid, traced and filled in. Something about seeing and understanding his creative process helped me to identify with his art and embrace it. With Lichtenstein, as with many artists, the more you look into the work the more you see that it's not just about dots and lines. He may have started with this thought of proving that men can be as exact as machines, but his personal vision and creativity are more evident in his body of work as a whole. You realize that the techinique isn't the art, but the filters through which his compositions are created.
Drowning Girl
Explosion
Girl with Hair Ribbon
Interior with Mirrored Wall
I saw this piece in the Guggenheim in New York a few years ago, a favorite of mine beforehand and even more so now that i've seen it in person.
Interior with Water Lilies
Little Big Painting
Mural with Blue Brushstroke
I gave my older brother a book about this painting for Christmas a few years ago that detailed the meaning and relevance of every shape and object in the painting, all references to other artists, genres, and even other phases of Lichtenstein's work, all represented in this mural. (I also had the chance to see this painting through the glass doors of the building in which it is hung in NY, NY.)
Preparedness
Rouen Cathedral
The Rouen Cathedral series is one of my favorites. I've always loved Monet's Rouen Cathedrals, and Lichtenstein adds a whole other dimension to them, transforming them into 2 Color dot-pattern compositions that represent not only his style and the subject matter, but also reference Monet and his work.
You have to love that Lichtenstein's Interiors have other paintings and sculptures in the room, creating this dual-layer art-within-art, the second being more representational than the first.
Sunset
Woman In Bath
i think what is conveyed in Woman in Bath is a certain sense of calmness. The good ol' "calgon take me away" syndrome. With the muted blues, and the absence of black lines, i think the effect of this piece is one of relaxation and serenity. And here's a thought: Beauty brings us comfort.
Truth? It is in the case of my wife... but i'm a shallow person.
http://www.lichtensteinfoundation.org is a great site for browsing though Roy Lichtenstein's art and learning more about the artist. Take the time out to see more of his work.
posted by j. Permanent Link