Roy Lichtenstein

ROY LICHTENSTEIN (New York, 1923 - 1997).
"Homage to Max Ernst" (from the series "Bonjour Max Ernst"). 1975.
Silkscreen, copy H.C.
Signed and justified by hand.
Measurements: 66 x 58,8cm.

"Homage to Max Ernst", from the series Bonjour Max Ernst (1975), is a silkscreen by Roy Lichtenstein in which the artist pays tribute to one of the great exponents of surrealism. In this work, Lichtenstein reinterprets Ernst's visual universe through his characteristic pop language, synthesizing forms and using his unmistakable palette of flat colors, wefts derived from his mythical Ben-Day dots and defined lines. The "Bonjour Max Ernst" series arose at a time when Lichtenstein was exploring a dialogue with art history, reimagining styles and artists of the past with his graphic and commercial aesthetic. In this piece, references to Ernst's techniques, such as montage and collage, frottage and grattage, are perceived, but translated into the language of comics and mechanical reproduction. Organic and dreamlike elements, typical of Ernst's surrealism, appear stylized in geometric compositions and primary colors, generating a contrast between pop automation and surrealist spontaneity. Within the broader context of Lichtenstein's work, this silkscreen is part of his series of homages to iconic artists, where he reinterpreted Dalí, Picasso, Mondrian and Léger, among others. Far from a simple appropriation, his homage to Ernst plays with irony and deconstruction, integrating the irrational of surrealism into the ordered and schematic logic of his own style. It is an encounter between two visions of art: the subconscious and textural exploration of Ernst versus the polished and massified aesthetics of Lichtenstein.

Roy Lichtenstein, a pioneer of the pop art movement, drew on the aesthetics of 1950s comic books for his iconic Crying Girl prints. Exploring different depictions of women in distress, Lichtenstein created two versions of Crying Girl, a lithograph in 1963 and an enamel on multiple steel the following year. The women, both blond and red-lipped, look away as tears well up in their eyes. Although Lichtenstein often used dialogue balloons in his compositions, Weepers lacks text, allowing the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions about the cause of the women's sorrows. Although a celebrated work today, Crying Girl was controversial when it was first published because of its simple, cartoonish style.
Lichtenstein's work is framed within pop art. He was a painter, graphic artist and sculptor, and is best known for his large-scale interpretations of comic book art. He began his training at the Art Student's League, and later studied fine arts at Ohio State University, where he received his doctorate in 1949. After a first stage within abstract expressionism, in 1957 he began experimenting with images taken from the comics on chewing gum wrappers, freely interpreted and mixed with images taken from paintings of the Old West. In 1961 he began to paint vignettes in large formats, in which he exaggerated and redefined the original formal elements. The figures appear enclosed in thick black strokes, the dots of the photogravure plot and the lines that indicate the shadows are enlarged, large surfaces of flat color strictly organize the space. Like other pop artists, he uses images from popular commercial art, such as cartoon characters or advertisements, but his work sometimes also ironizes other artistic styles, such as action painting in his "Brochazos" series. Since the seventies he has also dedicated himself to sculpture.His works can be seen in the most important museums in the world such as the MoMA, the Whitney, the Metropolitan and the Guggenheim in New York, the MOCA in Los Angeles, the Fine Arts Museums of Helsinki, Zurich, Basel, Naples, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Budapest, Vienna, St. Petersburg and Tokyo among others, the Tate Gallery in London, the Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, the National Gallery in Washington D.C. and the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, among many others.