Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) first garnered widespread attention in the early 1960s with paintings that drew directly upon imagery from advertising and comic books, and he quickly came to be viewed as a leading exponent of pop art. His artistic technique, infusing images symbolic of consumer society and popular culture into works of art, had a significant impact, yet this was not the only reason his works were so highly acclaimed. Lichtenstein also borrowed various design elements from the realm of comic book art—elements including the “Ben-Day dots” printing technique, stripe patterns, bold contour lines and flat surfaces in primary colors; and the unique, solid pictorial space generated by these elements created a stir within the art scene. Subsequently Lichtenstein consistently kept to this style while taking up topics of every description from well-known works in art history or from his own earlier works, and he went on to become an artist representative not only of pop art but of contemporary American art in general.
Lichtenstein also delved with passionate zeal in the production of prints, which he viewed as a medium that enabled him to express his artistic style effectively, and he produced a great number of outstanding works that have found their place within the history of print art. This exhibition will introduce prints in the CCGA archive collection that Lichtenstein created at the Tyler Graphics print studio in New York. It will also include works employing metallic foil and wood multiples, enabling the visitor to see how Lichtenstein used diverse techniques in order to continuously probe and expand the range of possibilities of print expression. We hope the exhibition will serve as an opportunity for visitors to appreciate even a small part of the appeal of the work of Roy Lichtenstein.