Sailboats 1973

Roy Lichtenstein made this Sailboats painting sometime in the 20th Century, using his signature hard edge style. It is kind of funny to see diagonals like this, it’s almost seasick! What stands out for me in this painting is how Lichtenstein uses stripes, these lines are not just decoration; they are the building blocks that create depth and movement. I am thinking especially of the waves in the lower right hand corner, the density of those black stripes is how the light gets made. The black outline around each shape feels like a flattening too, like stained glass, and it almost doesn't matter if it’s water or sky or sails, everything is part of a giant jigsaw. Lichtenstein made a bunch of these kinds of paintings, abstracting things so much they are almost not there. Like Ellsworth Kelly’s hard edge abstractions, Lichtenstein is thinking about perception and representation. Are they sailboats? Sort of. Are they painting? Definitely!