Biography
New York artist Lichtenstein began making paintings inspired by consumer culture as a reaction against the emotional involvement of Abstract Expressionism. He was inspired by comic-strip illustrations, which he enlarged. Although his works may look as if they are made by a machine, Lichtenstein would begin by painting through a perforated metal screen to make the regular pattern of dots, like those used to form areas of colour in magazine pictures. He then painted the solid colour and finally the black outlines. Although he worked in a modern style, the subjects of his work were often traditional, such as portraits, still life, landscapes and genre paintings.
Glossary terms
Screenprinting
The print is made by forcing ink through a screen on which a stencil is placed. Traditionally used for commercial printing, it has been taken up by artists since the 1960s when it was used extensively in Pop art.
Pop Art
An art movement of the 1950s to the 1970s that was primarily based in Britain and the United States. Pop artists are so called because of their use of imagery from popular culture. They also introduced techniques and materials from the commercial world, such as screen-printing, to fine art practice.