Customer Reviews

Roy Lichtenstein

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If, as English art critic Lawrence Alloway posed in the late fifties, Pop art refers as much to the art as to the attitudes that directed it, Roy Lichtenstein led in both. To this artist, it seems not very much is improbable. Why not art based on cartoons and advertising?

The chapter prefacing the artist's oeuvre in "Roy Lichtenstein" states, "He wanted to make painting that resembled cliches and, in so doing, to confront the cliches of art and the conventions that govern how we recognize art as art." This he did as no other artist has done before him.

His use of primary colors as a vital force and introduction of Benday dots as a way of painting produced images that startle and compel. Not only is Lichtenstein's work featured in galleries, museums and collections, but he has created murals and public sculptures seen in cities throughout the world.

Diane Waldham has compiled a stellar collection of landmark examples from each phase of the artist's career. Her laudable text places Lichtenstein's work in proper historical context and is a valuable addition to the archives of art.

Published in conjunction with a major retrospective of the artist's work, "Roy Lichtenstein" holds over 350 full-color reproductions, and is a veritable treasure trove for all lovers of contemporary art.

- Gail Cooke