Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein (New York, New York, 1923 — New York, New York, 1997) was a prominent member of the Pop art movement. After both studying and subsequently teaching at Ohio State University, the artist began to create works with cartoon imagery and commercial techniques in a rejection of Abstract Expressionism’s emphasis on subjective, emotional content. He then shifted his focus to imagery drawn from comic books, particularly ones involved with war and romance. He had a one man show at the Leo Castelli Gallery and moved to New York. Lichtenstein’s works are immediately recognizable through his use of primary colors, black outlines, signature Ben-Day dots, and sometimes thought or speech bubbles and onomatopoeia. Though some criticized him of plagiarism, he always altered certain aspects of the comics he drew from, whether narrative or formal elements. Lichtenstein later moved on to take on art history as his subject. His Brushstroke series was a parody of the grand gesture associated with Abstract Expressionism, while his landscapes reprised Impressionism, and versioned Claude Monet’s cathedrals and haystacks with the Ben-Day dots. Lichtenstein's legacy lies in his innovative merging of commercial culture and technique with high art.