Lichtenstein, Roy

3 Pages 735 Words

Roy Lichtenstein was a pioneer of the Pop Art Movement best known for his oversized comic book-style images. “Roy’s style was known around the world. He took things that everyone thought they knew and made something original out of them.” - Kirk Varnedoe, Curator at New York Museum of Modern Art.

IN THE BEGINNING

Roy Lichtenstein was born on 27 October 1923 in New York City. Lichtenstein was the son of a prosperous realtor. In 1939 he studied under Reginald Marsh art the Arts Students League in New York. In 1940 Lichtenstein studied under Hoyt L. Sherman at the School of Fine Arts at Ohio State University, Columbus. From 1943 to 1946 he served in the army. After this he resumed his studies and obtained a Masters of Fine Art in 1949. In 1951the Carlebach Gallery in New York organised a solo exhibition of his semi-abstract paintings of the old West. Lichtenstein initially experimented with abstraction but said it “didn’t have much of a sense of humour.” Shortly after the artist moved to Cleveland where he continued painting while working as an engineering draftsman to support his growing family. Lichtenstein taught at the State University of New York, Oswego from 1957 to 1960. It was by this time that Lichtenstein had begun to include loosely drawn cartoon characters in his increasingly abstract canvases. In 1960 Lichtenstein was appointed Assistant Professor at Douglas College at Rutgers University of New Jersey. He met and had long discussions with Allan Kaprow, and he also met Claes Oldenburg, Jim Dine, Lucas Samaras and George Segal.

THE BEGINNING OF LICHTENSTEINS COMIC STYLE

One of Lichtensteins sons provided a challenge when he said to his father ‘I bet you can’t paint as good as that’ while pointing at a cartoon of Mickey Mouse. Lichtenstein took this picture, which was on a bubble gum wrapper, blew it up into a full scale painting turning commercial art into an object of fine art.# It ...