Who wasRoy Lichtenstein?
At the height of Abstract Expressionism, the Pop Art movement emerged, with artists such as Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, who created works about American popular culture and everyday life. It is in this movement thatRoy Lichtenstein gained prominence and became one of the most famous artists. His works on mass culture and capitalism were developed in a more positive light compared to his colleagues. Currently, his works break records in the art market, with the sale of nurse 1964, for $95.4 million at a Christie's auction in the fall of 2015. Discover seven little-known facts about the artist who created the iconic works in this article. Whaam! It is Drowning Girl.
1. Had a jazz band
Roy Fox Lichtenstein was born in 1923 in Manhattan into a family of German Jewish descent. He showed a natural talent for the plastic arts early on, having attended drawing and painting classes. Another great interest in adolescence was music, thus creating a jazz band.
2. Served in the Army
During and after World War II,Roy Lichtenstein served in the army as an entertainer for three years before finishing his studies at Ohio State University.
3. The Flash Room technique
One of the teachers of Roy Lichtenstein at Ohio State University, it was Hoyt L. Sherman. This one had a technique to test the memory and vision of his students. In a dark room, display an image on a screen for just a few seconds, then ask students to draw what they had seen in as much detail as possible. This "Flash Room" technique was secondRoy Lichtenstein, a very impactful exercise that helped him develop as a pop artist.
4. Produced a movie
In collaboration with filmmaker Joel Freedman during a residency in Los Angeles, a three-screen installation was created, three landscapes. This installation is related to a series of landscape collages created between 1964 and 1966. The film was originally shown at LACMA's Art and Technology in 1971, and was seen again in 2011 when the Whitney Museum and FoundationRoy Lichtenstein they restored the film and showed it in its original 35mm format.
5. Created a mural in the Times Square subway station
In 1994, Roy Lichtenstein was commissioned to create a mural at one of the largest intersections within the Times Square subway station platforms. The mural invokes futuristic travel, the history of train drivers and New York's transportation system.
6. Your works were not well received by critics
Initially, many critics noted that his works were an imitation and thus not original pieces of art. However, with the development of the Pop Art movement, this thinking was rethought and its technique was appreciated as a true representation of the dominant appeal of the movement.
7. The Foundation Roy Lichtenstein was created after his death.
The American artist died at the age of 73 from pneumonia, in the city where Manhattan was born. The foundation Roy Lichtenstein continues to protect and disseminate his work so that future generations can fully appreciate his life story and work.
