Who was Roy 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 popular culture and American everyday life. It is in this movement that Roy Lichtenstein gained prominence and became one of the most famous artists. His works on mass culture and capitalism were developed in a more positive way compared to his colleagues. His works are currently breaking art market records, with Nurse 's 1964 sale for $95.4 million at a Christie's auction in the fall of 2015. Discover in this article seven little-known facts about the artist who created the iconic works Whaam ! and Drowning Girl.
1. Had a jazz band
Roy Fox Lichtenstein was born in 1923 in Manhattan into a family of German Jewish descent. He soon showed a natural talent for the plastic arts, having attended drawing and painting classes. Another great interest in adolescence was music, having created a jazz band.
2. Served in the Army
During and after World War II, Roy Lichtenstein served in the army as artists for three years, before finishing his studies at Ohio State University.
3. The Flash Room Technique
One of Roy Lichtenstein's professors at Ohio State University was Hoyt L. Sherman. This one had a technique to test his students' memory and vision. 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 technique of the "Flash Room", was according to Roy Lichtenstein , a very impactful exercise that helped him to 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, Three Landscapes , was created. 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, having been seen again in 2011, when the Whitney Museum and the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation restored the film and showed in the original 35mm format.
5. Created a mural at Times Square subway station
In 1994, Roy Lichtenstein was commissioned to create a mural at one of the largest intersections within Times Square subway station platforms. The mural invokes futuristic journeys, the history of train drivers and New York's transportation system.
6. Your works were not well received by critics
Initially, many critics referred 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 movement's dominant appeal.
7. The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation was created after his death.
The American artist died at 73 years old of pneumonia, in the city where he was born Manhattan. The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation continues to protect and promote its work so that future generations can fully appreciate its life story and work.
