As a teacher and graphic artist, this American Pop Artist spiraled to success with his first Pop Art painting in 1961 on a suggestion from one of his children. The painting, "Look Mickey, 1961" was created from a bubble gum wrapping with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He said he was trying to develop a more modern or mechanical way of working. When he put the painting in his studio, he said it just kept looking at him. His friend and "Happenings" enthusiast, Allan Kapro, told him that "it doesn't have to look like art to be art," and not to worry, "because if it's part of you - it will be there."
This influence was also there as he was inspired by comic strip art. He chose to borrow images from old books. The cartoons were then "critically transformed," and became part of his compositions with his signature use of Benday dots, lettering, and speech bubbles. He generously explains in the interview his use of mechanical assists, such as a projector and spray-gun stencils and takes us through his painting process. Subjects of these paintings were romance, war and science fiction.
In 1964, the Pop Art icon honored master artist, Picasso, by "adapting" his paintings from post card reproductions. One such painting is "Femme au chapeau, 1962," and can be seen in the Bonus section of this documentary. Picasso was outraged at Lichtenstein's obscene artistic attempts, even though he, himself, had pillaged paintings of Manet and Valezquez into his own complex modernistic works. Other artists Lichtenstein plucked from were Monet and Matisse. All of Lichtenstein's cartoonesque creations are brilliantly colorful, feed the spirit, and delight the soul.
Lichtenstein is hailed as one of the most successful public artists with his murals at the Greene Street Gallery (since demolished), New York's Equitable Tower, and the Times Square Mural installed in the New York City Subway Station (1994). Lichtenstein was a mild-mannered genius of his age living a quiet life in Greenwich Village. This Pop Artist gained international success, and his paintings continue to be auctioned for well in the millions of dollars. He died of pneumonia on September 29, 1997, at the age of 73, leaving a body of work that captures the heart and hilarity of his passive and sweet spirit.
Bonus features on Roy Lichtenstein include a Trailer composed of short biographies of Vermeer, Johns, and Cezanne. The Picture Gallery (without audio) exhibits 37 pictures of Lichtenstein and his works, including "Girl with Ball, 1961," "Kiss II (detail), 1962," as well as his New York City murals. Also included on the packaging is "Impressum," with text by Katharina Helwig, translated by Kennedy & Unglaub, which gives a brief in-depth biography of the artist and his contributions.
This Roy Lichtenstein art documentary would be an excellent teaching resource. His work is mightily positive, attractive, and colorful. My only suggestion is that subtitles of the same language be inserted into the documentary to allow ease of viewing.
