About this artwork
Lichtenstein once commented that ‘the painter I like best is Picasso’. 'Modern Art II' replicates Pablo Picasso’s characteristic splintering of forms. It also alludes to imagery found in two iconic paintings by the Spanish artist. The cone-like nose links to mask-like faces found in Picasso’s 'Les Demoiselles d’Avignon' ('The Young Women of Avignon'), (1907) (acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1937), perhaps a comment on the way Picasso had also famously appropriated forms from other sources – in this case, African masks. A second ‘Picasso-esque’ motif is the silhouetted profile in Lichtenstein’s print. This could refer to a similar shadowy contour of a face found in Picasso’s 'Les Trois Danseuses' ('The Three Dancers'), (1925) (acquired by Tate in 1965).
Updated before 2020
see media-
artist:Roy Lichtenstein (1923 - 1997) American
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title:Modern Art II
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date created:1996
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materials:Screenprint on paper
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measurements:122.90 x 97.30 cm
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object type:
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credit line:ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Lent by The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Collection 2015
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accession number:AL00382
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gallery:

Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein
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...