Roy Lichtenstein
1923 - 1997
FACTS:
Name: Roy Fox Lichtenstein
Born: October 27, 1923, NY
Died: September 29, 1997, NY
Periods: Modern art, Pop art
Children: Mitchell Lichtenstein,
David Hoyt Lichtenstein
Education: Ohio State University
Roy Lichtenstein was a
prominent artist of the
“Pop Art” movement. This
was an art era that used
popular culture in its work.
Lichtenstein is often
grouped with artists such
as Andy Warhol,
Jasper Johns,
and David Hockney.
Some critics felt Lichtenstein was one of the
“worst artists in America.”
(Source: http://www.lichtensteinfoundation.org/lifemagroy.htm)
Lichtenstein responded to this claim and others with
“The closer my work is to the original, the more
threatening and critical the content. However, my work is
entirely transformed in that my purpose and perception
are entirely different. I think my paintings are critically
transformed, but it would be difficult to prove it by any
rational line of argument”.
Look Mickey, 1961
Original Art
Roy Lichtenstein’s art
How are these artworks the same?
Same subjects, similar layout (design)
How are they different?
Less details, fewer colors, and a speech bubble added in the Lichtenstein
Drowning Girl, 1963
Wham!, 1963
Oh, Jeff...I Love You, Too..., 1964
Woman with
Flowered Hat,
1963
On May 15, 2013,
this painting sold
for $56 million
dollars.
Sandwich and Soda, 1964
Let’s look
again at the
work “Oh,
Jeff…”
If you look very closely at the
artwork, you can see the individual
dots that make up the picture. This
method of dot painting is called
Benday dots.
You also notice the thick lines and
bold colors.
It is a representation of the comics
when they had a limited color
palette.
To achieve a
Lichtenstein inspired
artwork, start with a
photograph.
Draw the lines of the
subject using thick black
lines.
Add a speech or
thought bubble. Leave
it white, with black
lettering in all capitals.
Fill in dots for the color,
with only a select few
parts of the work
colored solid.
Pop art:
an art style developed in the 1960s that drew visual inspiration from popular
visuals such as tabloids, cartoons, ads, packaging, and billboards. Pop artists
enlarged their images to comment on the importance of media in American life.
Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, and Roy Lichtenstein were three of the most
famous Pop artists.
benday dots:
a dot/grid system used to create tones or shading in screen printing, especially
in the commercial art world of the 1960s. Pixels on a computer are a
contemporary parallel. Tones can be changed by varying the color, number, and
size of the dots per inch.
color scheme:
a group of colors an artist purposefully chooses to use. Different color
combinations can create a variety of moods such as peaceful, active, dynamic
or discordant in a work of art. Artists are aware of the interplay of colors in many
color schemes.
grid:
a system that divides a space into evenly sized areas
text balloon:
the area of a cartoon that contains words. The balloon can be directed
to a character’s mouth with an arrow, or be connected via a series of
dots of diminishing size to the head as if the subject were thinking the
message.
contour line:
a thick, dark line that outlines important shapes as in a cartoon
editing/cropping:
removing unnecessary space or shapes from a picture or photo. Artists
such as Roy Lichtenstein edited and cropped images to help viewers
focus on only the most important features and ideas.
context:
the usual place or environment where something can be seen. Pop
artists took objects out of their usual contexts (cartoons, ads) and turned
them into large-scale works of art.
Today, you will begin making an art piece inspired by
the work of Roy Lichtenstein.
Start by getting out your computer and finding a
photograph or comic panel that you would like to
replicate. Look for something that has a simple design
with only one focal subject and not too many intricate
details.
Print one copy of it in black and white, and one in color.
On the black and white print, trace over the lines in
black sharpie. This is so that you can see the lines easier
in the next step. Set the color copy aside for now.
Lay a blank sheet of paper over the copy you just drew
on with black sharpie. Add a speech bubble in it as well.
Trace over the lines of the print in black sharpie, so that
you have an outline of the photograph.
Using tempera paints with only 3 or 4 colors (plus
black), paint in the solid colored areas first. Refer to
your colored print. Be sure not to paint over the black
sharpie lines.
Use the flat end of a bamboo skewer to paint in the dots
of the areas in your painting. Be sure the dots are in a
straight line and parallel to each other.
In the speech/thought bubble, put a caption in it in all
capitals to go with the photograph.