LICHTENSTEIN
Roy Lichtenstein was born in 1923 in New York City. His parents were uppermiddle-class. He went to public school until he was twelve then enrolled into a private academy. The academy didn’t have an art program, though Lichtenstein became interested in art and design outside of school.
Mon. 1 New Years Day
Paris Review Poster 1966
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He was an enthusiastic fan of Jazz music and often went to concerts at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Lichtenstein liked to draw portraits of the musicians and their instruments. He enrolled in summer art classes at the Art Students League of New York during his final year at the academy in 1939.
Weds. 14 Valentine’s Day
Oh, Jeff...I Love You, Too...But 1964
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When Lichtenstein graduated from the academy in 1940, he left New York to attend the Ohio State University, which had studio classes and a fine arts degree. His college studies were halted by a three-year service in the army during World War II between 1943 and 1946. He hastily returned to Ohio State University afterwards.
Femme au Chapeau 1962
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Lichtenstein entered the graduate program at Ohio State and was eventually hired as an art instructor. At twenty-eight years old he had his first one-man exhibition at a gallery in New York. It was a small success.
Goldfish Bowl II 1978
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His work in the 1950s was mostly cubism. In 1957 he began using the Abstract Expressionism style. He showed his pieces two years later to an under whelmed audience.
Mon. 29 Memorial Day
Red Horseman 1974
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In 1960 Lichtenstein began teaching at Rutgers University. He also began to create pieces with recognizable cartoons from gum wrappers or comics.
Self-Portrait II 1976
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One year later Leo Castelli started displaying Lichtenstein’s work at his gallery in New York. Lichtenstein’s entire collection was bought by influential art collectors before the show even opened its gates.
Jul. 4 Independence Day
Explosion No.1 1965
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Lichtenstein stopped teaching when he was making enough money to live from his paintings. Around the year 1963 his work featured thick outlines, bold colors and Benday Dots.
I Know...Brad 1963
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Rather than attempt to reproduce his subjects, his work tackles the way mass media portrays them. When Lichtenstein’s work was first revealed, many art critics wrote negatively about the originality.
Sun. 3 Labor Day Fri. 29 Roy’s Death
Interior with Cactus 1978
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Lichtenstein’s painting “Torpedo...Los!” sold for five and a half million dollars in 1989 which made him one of only three living artists to have attracted such huge sums. There are about forty-five hundred works thought to be in circulation today.
Fri. 27 Roy’s Birthday Tues. 31 Halloween
Imperfect Painting 1986
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The DreamWorks Records logo was his last completed project. He died of pneumonia in 1997. Lichtenstein is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and by his sons, David and Mitchell.
Thur. 22 Thanksgiving
Forest Scene 1980
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“Personally, I feel that in my own work I wanted to look programmed or impersonal but I don’t really believe I am being impersonal when I do it. And I don’t think you could do this.”
Mon. 25 Christmas
Lichtenstein 1923-1997
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2007
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