Roy Lichtenstein 1923-1997

By Katie Bono

Roy Lichtenstein, Whaam!, 1963, acrylic paint and oil paint on canvas, Support: 1727 × 4064 mm frame: 1747 × 4084 × 60 mm, Tate, London. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897 

Born on October 27, 1923, in New York City, Roy Lichtenstein went on to become one of the most influential artists of the 60s Pop Art Movement, if not the entire 20th century. Lichtenstein grew up surrounded by the musical and artistic culture of New York City - his mother was a pianist and encouraged her children to periodically enjoy museums and concerts. After high school, Liechtenstein studied under Reginald Marsh for a summer at the Art Students League before attending the School of Fine Arts at Ohio State University. There he was quite influenced by his teacher Hoyt L. Sherman who was a Fauvist artist.  

In 1943 Lichtenstein was drafted and sent to Europe. Though Lichtenstein intended to stay in Europe after the war and complete his schooling at Sorbonne, he ultimately returned to the States to receive his Master of Fine Arts at OSU. Lichtenstein then worked as a teacher for many years and during this period his art tended towards Abstract Expressionism with subject matter such as plants, women in gardens, and medieval battles. At this point, he was largely influenced by European modernists such as Picasso, Klee, and Kandinsky.  

Early in his career, Lichtenstein represented cartoon characters in expressionist backgrounds and although these paintings do not survive, they were the basis for his eventual recognizable style. Lichtenstein gravitated towards what he considered to be the “worst” or “lowest” form of art and transformed it onto high art canvases. At this point, nothing was held in such contempt as commercial art, so Lichtenstein appropriated the comic art subject matter and style using a ‘high art’ scale and painting process. His work is so striking due to the juxtaposition between his painstaking process and the flat, simplified subject matter he depicted. 

He achieved what was widely considered to be his artistic breakthrough in 1962 with an exhibition of comic-book paintings. Works such as Foot and Hand exemplify his Pop style and feature his iconic hand-painted Ben-Day dots. Other works from the early 60s include Whaam!. In this piece, Lichtenstein subverts the original purpose of the comic from which he lifted his subject matter. In a large scale setting the military heroism depicted looks ridiculous rather than heroic as it may have on a smaller scale. In changing the scale and medium of the comic, Lichtenstein transforms its meaning and provides salient commentary on military culture.  In works such as Drowning Girl, Hopeless, and We Rose Up Slowly Lichtenstein uses comics to explore themes of love and romance. 

In the 70s Lichtenstein sought to expand his style, turned back to the European modernists, and created works inspired by Cubism, Fauvism, Surrealism, and Expressionism. He tended towards abstraction as seen in Twin Mirrors. Late in his career, in the 70s and early 80s, Lichtenstein had a brief foray into public art with the sculptures Mermaid and Brushstrokes in Flight in Miami and Columbus, respectively. Lichtenstein died of pneumonia in 1997 at the age of 73. He is remembered for a distinctly impersonal style that was paradoxically unique and a repertoire of styles and media. 

Bibliography

Berman, Avis. “BIOGRAPHY.” Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. Accessed October 25, 2020. https://lichtensteinfoundation.org/biography/.  

Busche, Ernst A. "Lichtenstein, Roy." Grove Art Online. 2003; Accessed 25 Oct. 2020. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000050915.  

Goodwin, Arthur. “'Whaam!', Roy Lichtenstein, 1963.” Tate, November 2018. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897.