Roy Lichtenstein

Artist: Roy Lichtenstein

Title: We Rose Up Slowly

Media: Oil and Magna on canvas, 2 panels

Dimensions: 68 x 92 in

Date: 1964

                   

Biography info:

Roy Lichtenstein born in New York on October 27, 1923 and passed on September 29, 1997. He was a prominent American pop artist whose work was influenced by advertisements and the comic book motif. He studied at the Art Students League in 1939, and later attended Ohio State University. His studies were interrupted by three years of army service in which he drew maps for the troops. After serving in World War II, Lichtenstein returned to his studies and attained his master of fine arts degree from Ohio State where he taught for two years. He then taught at Oswego State College in New York for six years and then another three years at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He then gave up teaching and began to paint full-time.

Statement on the work:

Starting with a scene from a science fiction comic book, Lichtenstein made a small sketch of the composition. Then he used a machine to project the sketch to the size he wanted and traced it onto his canvas. To simulate photoengraver's dots, Lichtenstein laid a metal screen on the canvas, spread oil paint over the screen with a roller and rubbed the paint through the holes with a toothbrush. Undotted parts of the picture were masked with paper. Lichtenstein then painted in the letters and black outlines. The finished picture shows how Lichtenstein altered the cartoon by centering the face and balloon, adding a red helmet and turning the comic strip's question into a joke about his own art.

Background info on the work:

His works have been controversial in the art community. Earlier in the same year that this work was made, Life magazine published an article on Lichtenstein by he title “Is he the worst artist in America?”. In this same year dialogue balloons begin to disappear from his works.

Connects to theme and why I chose it:

I chose this art work because I like the comic book look the artist chose. It portrays a couple intimately close and about to kiss. The couple seems to have a lot of passion and love for each other. The words “as if we didn’t belong to the outside world any longer” shows that the couple is so wrapped up in their love that everything else does not matter.