Lichtenstein - A Retrospective

Yesterday, Tate Modern opened its new exhibition 'Lichtenstein - A Retrospective' to the public. What I like about a retrospective like this one is that it introduces you to those lesser known works from the artist, some of which I find more interesting than the ones so often referred to. But that of course is personal taste, not to be discussed - like the French proverb says: "les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas"

Lichtenstein, probably one of the most recognized artists of the American pop art movement, and a contemporary of Pollock and Rothko, broke with those artists' movement known as abstract expressionism to develop a new concept, one of painting inspired by comic strips, advertising and mass culture imagery.

When asked about Lichtenstein the works that often come to mind are his comic book paintings. But Lichtenstein wasn't a fan of comic books per se, he was rather intrigued by an underlying principle in art, namely what is the underlying force that makes a painting of a certain image more valuable than that same image in the comic book? He was intrigued by the nature of the cartoon, an image as far as possible from an artistic image and how it could be turned into a formal painting, a formal art work with only minor changes. 

Don't you like the painting on the left? :) It's titled: The ring (Engagement) and dates from 1962.

But as you might already have inferred from what I wrote at the beginning, my favourite paintings on show in this retrospective weren't the comic book ones - rather his take on Monet's Rouen Cathedral is what caught my eye. 

Monet wasn't the only artist Lichtenstein gave his own interpretation to. He also engaged with Picasso's, Matisse's and Mondrian's work for example, each time staying true to the stylistic convention of the movement but letting it emerge through his pop art filter.  

Another one of his series that I really liked were his Mirrors. Here the painting is not only a painting, it is also a sculpture as the form of the canvas has taken on the form of the object represented, and it is conveying its intricate characteristic, i.e. reflection, through a composition of well placed dots. But it is a mock object, a mirror showing no reflection at all of the object put before it.  

I would really recommend you this exhibition! It is very accessible art, very pleasing to the eye and actually just very fun!

Tate Modern has a great audio guide system which is really worth taking along! You hear stories about the art works, and commentary from the curators and even from Lichtenstein himself. And you also get access to his biography and additional material like e.g. his scrap books ( he never worked from real life objects, he always started working with 2D representations)

The exhibition runs until the 27th of May 2013! So plenty of time for you to get there and like me make new discoveries about this artist, like his fascination later in life with the simplicity of Chinese art!

For more information go to the Tate modern website