You become quite successful as an artist when people are able to link your creations with your last name. However, when your name is linked with numerous tutorials aiming to help individuals imitate your masterpieces on Photoshop, you have taken «successfull» to a whole new level.
Roy Lichtenstein, the man behind the famous pop-commercial art of the sixtees, managed to virtually simplify ideas without decreasing their magnitude. Bringing his palette down to the most basic colors, he combines different levels of reality in over-simplified pieces of art. As Lichtenstein himself had stated, his idealistic intention alienates and alters in his pictures.
A true perfectionist, Lichtenstein was particularly fond of cleaning his «record of hand». His pieces are “clean”, no elements imply any kind of alteration thus, the whole procedure of getting to the final result is completely disguised. This technique reflected the idea behind Lichtenstein’s work: advertising, consumerism and comic strips. Objectivized emotions turn into mechanized feelings offering the viewer the choice to either focus at the visuals or proceed to the their interpretation.
«Keds» (1961), «Sponge» (1962) and «Hot Dog with Mustard» (1963) are bright examples of the commentary on consumerism while his most popular to public pieces, «Drowing Girl» (1963), «Forget it! Forget me!» (1962) and «M-Maybe» (1963) made a statement on the pop culture depictions on women of that time. And this is only one small part of his work.
Roy Lichtenstein’s artwork is now presented to public in a full-scale retrospective organized by The Art Institute of Chicago and Tate Modern. Visitors will have access to approximately 125 art pieces including the iconic «Whaam!» (1963). According to Iria Candela, the co-curator of the exhibition, the display of Lichtenstein’s legacy will be organized chronologically, expressing the various stages of the artist’s life.
Exhibition : 21 February – 27 May 2013 | £14, concessions available