Pop Art with The Studiowith Roy Lichtenstein ART HIST RY KIDS LET’S MEET THE ARTIST Roy Fox Lichtenstein (October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) Roy Lichtenstein was born into a normal New York family on October 27, 1923. His father was a real estate broker, and his mom (a classically trained pianist) stayed home with Roy and his sister Renee. The three of them took advantage of the rich art scene in New York– visiting museums and attending concerts often. Early on, Roy showed artistic talent. He played clarinet and piano, and he loved to sculpt, draw and paint. As a boy, he decided that he would become an artist, and that’s just what he did. He studied art in school and became a regular at the Museum of Modern Art where he could admire the finest masterpieces in the world. His favorite was Picasso’s Guarnica (which was visiting New York on a long-term loan). Lichtenstein became an art professor and contin- ued to work on his own paintings. In the early 1960’s, he began experimenting with his now signature style of comic-book inspired art, and it quickly took off. His work was featured in museum and gallery shows around the country and he became a household name in the art world. Roy Lichtenstein is one of the founding members of the Pop Art movement, and he continued to explore his innovative style of art for the next 35 years. Photo Credit: Bill Ray January 2020 16 Pop Art with The Studiowith Roy Lichtenstein ART HIST RY KIDS ART MOVEMENTS What is Pop Art? Abstract Expressionism To understand Pop Art, we need to understand what else was happening at the time. During the 1950’s, artists were making a lot of abstract art. Abstract Expressionists were splashing and pouring paint on canvases and making art that expressed feelings rather than images. Then Pop Art came along. Pop Art had nothing to do with feelings, and everything to do with the every day objects Jackson Pollock, Number 28, 1950 that surround us. (Even the name Pop Art describes what it is– Pop is short for Popular.) Andy Warhol painted soup Pop Art cans... lots of them! Claus Oldenberg made oversize sculptures of fast food hamburgers. And Roy Lichtenstein showed us images from comic books and newspaper ads. People argued that this wasn’t art. But over time, most people have come to agree that it is. Why? Because one of the most important jobs an artist does is Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962 to show the people of the world a reflection of their soci- ety. Pop Art was a perfect reflection of the time. The world was shiny and bright. Consumerism was booming– everyone wanted the newest version of everything. Pop Art explores the idea of bringing normal life into the realm of fine art. It asks us to consider the things that are important to us as a society. It makes us think about questions like: ‘Is this art?’ and “If it is, why is this art?’ Claes Oldenburg, Floor Burger, 1962 January 2020 17 Pop Art with The Studiowith Roy Lichtenstein ART HIST RY KIDS DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE ART Parody in art Throughout his art career, Lichtenstein became a master of parody. Parody is a device used by painters, musician, writers, and others, where they deliberately imitate something or someone in order to achieve a humorous or thought provoking effect in their work. So, when Lichtenstein used images of Micky Mouse, or recreated ads from the newspaper, or made a cubist still life– these are all examples of parody. He’s using images that are instantly recognizable to people in mainstream society, but he’s using them with a humorous twist in order to share his ideas about them. “The things I have apparently parodied I actually admire.” Lichtenstein made dozens of paintings that reference famous works of art– like this one inspired by Monet’s Water Lilies. Water Lily Pond with Reflections, 1992 January 2020 18 Pop Art with The Studiowith Roy Lichtenstein ART HIST RY KIDS DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE ART Appropriation in art When an artist takes an image that someone Drowning Girl was inspired else created, and they use it in their own work, by the 1962 this is called appropriation. DC Comics Secret Hearts cover, issue There’s a really fine line between appropriation #83, Run for and copying. Copying (or plagiarizing some- Love! illus- one else’s work) is usually something to avoid. trated by Tony Abruzzov. It could get you in trouble with the original artist. But appropriation is usually ok because the artist is using an image as a starting point, Lichtenstein referenced but then changing enough to make it different. the com- ic-book panel The lines between appropriation and plagia- drawn by Irv Novick in a rism can be very grey and very blurry. It’s not 1962 issue of always easy to tell which is which. In order for DC Comics’ artists to make social commentary about pop All-American Men of War as culture, they need to use images that main- the source for stream society will recognize... and so they Whaam! take their chances and use these images in their art. A book called ‘Deconstructing Roy Lichten- stein’ compares many of Lichtenstein’s paint- ings to their original comic book sources to illustrate how much was directly copied, and how much the artist changed. January 2020 19 Pop Art with The Studiowith Roy Lichtenstein ART HIST RY KIDS DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE ART Lichtenstein’s Art Process and Technique Roy Lichtenstein created his art in a very particular way in order to make his art look like it was printed by a machine and not painted by a person. Roy was a perfectionist, and he used special tools and techniques to make his art look perfect, too. He would always begin with sketches, and he would revise and redo his sketches using tracing paper. Once he had his composition just right, Roy would use a projector to put his sketch onto a big canvas. Roy used magna paint because it gave him a smooth even finish, and he would varnish the paint between each layer. To make straight lines, Roy used big rulers and triangles with straight edges. Sometimes he would use special removable tape to make straight lines in his art. He had custom metal grids of dots made, and he used these to map out the Ben Day dots that are the iconic trademark style we associate with his paintings. What are Ben Day dots? The dot pattern Roy Lichtenstein used in his art to make his paint- ings look like printed ads and comics has a name... and a pretty interesting history. These are called Ben Day dots, and they are named after an illustrator and printer Benjamin Henry Day, Jr. Benjamin Day discovered that if you printed little dots of a color in certain ways - with just the right amount of space around them, you could inexpensively achieve a shaded effect in the printed imagery (without having to use a full spectrum of colored ink). This printing method was commonly used in mass produced printings (like comic books and newspapers), and when Lichten- stein included Ben Day dots in his art, he made them larger than they normally would be to exaggerate and emphasize that he was including them on purpose. This photo shows how Lichtenstein (that’s his hand!) transfered the dots onto his canvas. January 2020 20 Pop Art with The Studiowith Roy Lichtenstein ART HIST RY KIDS LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis: How to look at Lichtenstein paintings Narrative– is there an obvious story Balance– look at the way that you can see when you look at things are arranged. Is the art? What is the main story there a sense of balance? that Lichtenstein is telling in this Is the painting symmetrical? painting? Or is there balance without symmetry? Shape– look for Meaning– what images do you see? shapes. Dots, What do you think they mean? Can lines, solid blocks you think of any hidden meanings of color. How do that may be secondary to the these shapes obvious images? all work together? Words– are there words in the art? Line- take a look Are the words describing an action at the line quality. or are they dialogue between Are the lines characters in the painting? How do straight and the words help to tell the story? predictable, or What is the tone of the language? are they organic and fluid? How do the lines compliment the Composition– take a look at the art overall? overall composition. Is it linear, are things going across the canvas in a straight line? Or is it diagonal? Color– what colors do you see? How does your eye travel around How do the colors add to the art the image? Where does it start, or help Lichtenstein to tell a and where does it go next? story? January 2020 21 Pop Art with The Studiowith Roy Lichtenstein ART HIST RY KIDS LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis: Masterpiece Lichtenstein said he used the name Brad in his art because it sounded both heroic and cliche. (You may remember Brad was used in Drowning Girl as well.) This is one of Lichtenstein’s earliest paintings that became really famous. In a way it predicted his own fame as an artist. This is one of the earlier works where Lichtenstein was still perfecting his Ben Day dot technique.