I came upon this article that read the headline “Following the Dots Around the City”, and it was from there I was caught. Upon further discovery this was a review on one of my favorite artists, Roy Lichtenstein, an American Pop artist. It seems that this fall there are three Lichtenstein shows all spread out across Manhattan. Roberta Smith, a senior critic for the New York Times, wrote the article and detailed, quite nicely I thought, how Lichtenstein’s work is the epitome of New York in the fall. This quote is from her article, I believe clearly states the feeling that one gets from Lichtenstein, “Lichtenstein’s art forms an ode to the Americana of comic books and commercial art, but it has about it a brisk cosmopolitanism that is also New York at its most New York, which is in the fall. The closest analogy may be musical: the songs of Broadway composers like Cole Porter, which radiate the energy of vernacular language being put in perfect working order.” She goes on to talk of how Lichtenstein’s pieces are always in “perfect working order” and how his use of Benday dots are always on point. She organizes her review very well with the recommendations of which of the three galleries should be the place to start (in this case she said that the Morgan Library & Museum was, with some of Lichtenstein’s black and white drawings from 1961-1968). She says in starting with these pieces one gets the feel really of how Roy Lichtenstein got a style, and it clearly shows how much effort and care he put into his “ultracool look.” Smith then adds little snippets of Lichtenstein’s life to the article. I had no idea that he taught at Rutgers University, which interested me because that was one of my top two schools when it came time to decide where I would go to college – I think we know where I chose. However, it made me wonder if had I known when I was deciding would that have changed my view of Rutgers. No matter, the review continues with a little more biography, pointing out that Lichtenstein was part of the army for sometime in his 15 years away from New York City. Truly though what caught my attention was the fact that there was a change in medium for Lichtenstein. Not that many artists don’t change mediums; it is just that this change from wet media to dry media really evolved his work. With this he could first draw out his designs and then go over it with ink and that would enhance the image with values, thicknesses, and more. This is shown in “Bread and Jam” to the left. Here, Lichtenstein is able to mix, as Smith says, “fake image, real light.” I completely agree with Smith here, that the image really pops among the others and I find myself drawn to it. I just love that he mixes modern, abstract with reality. That is something that I would like to get out of my own art. Then at another show for Lichtenstein’s work, the Leo Castelli, there is a change of pace in his work, showing some pieces by him for the very first time. For instance, one in particular is a small oil painting called, “Indian.” Here is Lichtenstein’s interpretation of a man, reduced to tangled lines. It shows an interesting switch from his industrial style to a painterly piece. Smith says it perfectly: it is “on its own.” To sum it up, I think that this article clearly displayed what Roy Lichtenstein is about, and what his art is. I wish I would have a chance to see these shows after reading this review.
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