Roy Lichtenstein

Who is Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Fox Lichtenstein was born in an upper middle class Jewish-German family in New York City, United States on October 27, 1923. He grew up in New York City, then left NY to study at Ohio State University to get a degree in Studio Arts. However, his studies were interrupted because of World War II. After things settled down, he got his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1949.

Lichtenstein took a leave of absence from Douglass College where he worked as a teacher when he was getting a lot of recognition in the United States. 

Around that time, Lichtenstein's art was focused mostly on comics about strong and emotional love and war stories. He described it as;

“I was interested in anything I could use as a subject that was emotionally strong - usually love, war, or something that was highly charged and emotional subject matter to be opposite to the removed and deliberate painting techniques”

He died in New York, U.S. on September 29, 1997 at the age of 73.

Pop art: Roy Lichtenstein

Popular Art, aka Pop-Art, in the postmodern art world, emerged in the United states and United Kingdom in the 1950’s and it brought together items from popular and mass culture. This movement aims to emphasize the banal cultural elements, often with the use of irony, and without its original context. 

In Pop Art, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol played a big role, shaping the North American Pop Art movement. Which was towards a somewhat different direction than the British Pop Art movement. American Pop Art would take impersonal and mundane objects, present the abstract expressionism similar to dada movement. 

Roy Lichtenstein’s art, as he was using comic book strips and mass produced advertisements, takes elements from their purposeful context and creates a new, slightly different message in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

Famous Roy Lichtenstein Pop Art 

Well known examples of pop art by Roy Lichtenstein, as well as other famous contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol, include comic books, ads, and everyday mass produced objects. Roy Lichtenstein’s artworks, Drowning Girl and WHAAM! are considered his most popular artworks. In addition to these two works, Look Mickey are all regarded as the most influential works of Lichtenstein. 

Roy Lichtenstein’s work imitates mechanized reproduction with basing his art on American popular culture. He includes Ben-Day dots that we see in comic books and pop art.

Roy Lichtenstein - Drowning Girl

Roy Lichtenstein Drowning Girl (1963), (or Secret Hearts or I Don’t Care! I’d Rather Sink) is a painting in oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas based on an art by Tony Abruzzo. The piece has Ben-Day dots that remind us of printed comic books.

On the piece, there is a female figure that is struggling in the sea, crying, but refusing to ask for help from “Brad” whom we read about on the thought bubble that reads “I Don’t Care! I’d Rather Sink - Than Call Brad For Help!”. Lichtenstein often used the name Brad, an absent figure, in his works.

WHAAM!

WHAAM! (1963) Roy Lichtenstein’s work is one of his most important, and the world’s most  known Pop art works, head to head with Drowning Girl. It is 172.7 x 406.4 cm (68 x 160 in) and it is magna acrylic and oil on canvas. 

The piece has a fighter jet attacking another plane by firing its rocket, exploding it with a big WHAAM! sound. The title of the work comes from this onomatopoeia - the words such as KAPOW! that describes sound effects on comic books.

Roy Lichtenstein was in the United States Army during World War II and almost joined pilot training before it got canceled. Therefore, he made some war themed artworks and WHAAM! was a part of a series that he worked on between 1962 and 1964.

Roy Lichtenstein Art: Price

Roy Lichtenstein artwork prices vary depending on the type of the work. Original Roy Lichtenstein pop art pieces are valued a lot in the contemporary art world.

His Masterpiece (1962) is his most expensive work ever sold. Roy Lichtenstein Masterpiece price was $165 million in January 2017!

In our gallery, you can find Roy Lichtenstein art with prices and descriptions. Discover Roy Lichtenstein artwork prices on Deodato Arte - Buy Now from iconic and famous Roy Lichtenstein Pop Art.