Roy Lichtenstein's
By Carlos Maldonado
"WHAAM!"
Who was Lichtenstein?
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Born in New York City in 1923, Roy Lichtenstein excelled artistically from a young age. He sculpted, drew, and painted since his teenage years.
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Served as a draftsman during World War II from 1943-46
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Is considered one of the greatest "pop artists" of all time because of how his work added to the abstract expressionist movement during the second half of the twentieth century.
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His work emphasized "pop art through parody" as his particular style was influenced by comic book strips and popular advertising.
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Some of his contemporaries include Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol.
SIGNATURE style
- Once in his prime, Lichtenstein often gravitated towards work which he considered to be the "worst" or "dumbest" item he could find and would go on to mimic, alter, or improve it.
- His interest in paraphrasing such images came from his fascination in people's dismissal of the trivial (in art) which added to what he classified as people notion of"a purely american mythological subject matter"
- He once stated that his favorite painting and a great source of early inspiration came from was Pablo Picasso's "Guernica"
- Some famous works of his include:
Drowning Girl, 63'
In the Car, 63'
M-Maybe, 65'
SIGNATURE style
Whaam!, 1963
Dimensions: 1.7m x 4.0m (5ft 7in x 13ft 4 in)
Location: Tate Liverpool
original comic panel
WHaam! (Continued)
- A "diptych" painting
- An American fighter unleashes a spurt of fire that blows up an enemy plane, giving the pilot no chance of escape. It is a picture of violence experienced third hand.
- Adapted from a panel by Irv Novick which appears in No. 89 of DC comic's "All-American Men of War"
- Lichtenstein uses his go-to primary colors with black outlines, and the imitation of a mechanical printer's Ben-Day dots.
- Arguably, Lichtenstein's most famous work.
WHaam!: meaning + significance
- Like most of his work, "Whaam!" resists easy political reading.
- Is he celebrating the glorified action of the war or the glory of the kill or is he commenting on the celebration of the dehumanization of the enemy?
- Does Whaam! attack the romantic image of war promoted by comics and Hollywood films in the Cold War Era?
- Wham! was completed just before the US became involved in the Vietnam War and could also be read as a warning of the implications of that war.
Work cited
- Every-Picture, www.everypicture.org/blank-z6mcs.
- Jones, Jonathan. “Whaam! Prepare to Be Hit by Roy Lichtenstein's Finest Comic Book Hour.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 May 2012, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2012/may/09/whaam-roy-lichtensteins-comic-book-hour.
- Knight, Christopher. “Art Review: 'Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective' Smashes Cliches.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2012, articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/08/entertainment/la-et-knight-lichtenstein-20120608.
- Rondeau, James, and Sheena Wagstaff. Roy Lichtenstein: a Retrospective. Art Institute of Chicago, 2012.
- “Roy Lichtenstein Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-lichtenstein-roy.htm.
- Rubin, Susan Goldman. Whaam! the Art and Life of Roy Lichtenstein. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2008. “Whaam!” Whaam! | Art UK, artuk.org/discover/artworks/whaam-117785.
Roy Lichtenstein's By Carlos Maldonado "WHAAM!"
Roy Licthenstein Whaam!
By Carlos Maldonado
Roy Licthenstein Whaam!
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