By Sehba Mohammad on February 2, 2015
Most people instantly recognize pop artist Roy
Lichtenstein’s blown-up reproductions of comic strips and advertisements,
populated by hard-edged figures and made up of hundred of Ben-Day dots. Aside
from aficionados, many don’t know much else about the painter, sculptor, and
filmmaker, who over the course of his three-decade career became one of pop
art’s leading figures, creating a style that was smart, original, fun, and accessible.
To give some insight we’ve put together a handy list of resources that will get
you up to speed on both the artist and his artworks.
The Artist
The New York Times article was written by art critic
extraordinaire Holland Cotter in lieu of the 2012 exhibition Roy Lichtenstein:
A Retrospective at the National Gallery of Art. The write-up touches upon the
pop icon’s beginnings at Manhattan’s Art Students League and his inclusion in
famed dealer Leo Castelli’s stable. It also goes into depth about the artist’s
evolution from depictions of cartoon characters to art historical homages.
The Life and Art of Roy Lichtenstein
The 49-minute documentary mainly comprises of a revealing
interview with Lichtenstein, interspersed with narrations about the artist’s
life and additional interviews with people close to the artist including his
gallerist, Leo Castelli. The film reveals intricate details about the artist’s
subject matter and practice.
“Crash! Bang! Boom! It’s Roy!” By David Bowie
Interview Magazine
The conversation between pop legends, Bowie and
Lichtenstein, reveals the lighter side of the painter, who reveals his motives
behind using Mickey Mouse in his early works, referring to the cartoon
character as so American and anti art. Bowie’s questions range from technical:
“why do you feel that a romantic or emotional situation needs to be represented
mechanically?” to more broad ranged: “does the general public know when it’s
looking at art?” Lichtenstein responds to all of them in his characteristic straightforward
and causal manner.
The Artworks
The Museum Syndicate website has a representative
selection of Lichtenstein’s artwork. They include his iconic ’60s romantic
comic book works, such as Hopeless (1963), depicting a teary eyed dejected
woman, as well as his ’70s pieces, rife with art historical references. The
site also contains a few of his later, abstract works such as Water Lilies with
Cloudcan, painted in 1992, five years before he died.
Public Sculptures/ Public Murals
The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation was established a few
years after the artist died to continue his legacy. The foundation websites
contains a comprehensive list of the artist’s public works located all over the
country, and world. They run the gamut from an aluminum sculpture of a house at
the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to a 6-by-53-foot canvas
installed in the New York City subway station.
Roy Lichtenstein: Sculpture and Drawings
Although he was famous for his paintings Lichtenstein
also created many sculptures and drawings. In fact the artist was trained in
classical drawings, and used the medium throughout his life for private records
and to workout the details of his paintings. The Corcoran Gallery of Art in
Washington DC held the first retrospective of the artist’s sculpture and
drawings in 1999. The website allows you to tour the show via images.
Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective (2012)
The book Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective, gives a more
thorough overview of Lichtenstein’s work. Written and compiled by curatorial
genius James Rondeau, it examines the pop master’s entire oeuvre, featuring 130
paintings and sculptures, along with lesser known drawings and collages. It
includes essays by historian Yve-Alain Bois, curator Chrissie Iles, and scholar
Stephen Little. However, what really adds gravitas to the book is a complete chronology of the artist work,
compiled by the Lichtenstein Foundation.