Approaching the Castle 1951

Roy Lichtenstein made this linocut called Approaching the Castle between 1951 and 1979. Look at the way he’s really embraced the graphic possibilities of the linocut, with its stark contrasts and flat planes of color. It is like seeing how an image can be built up, piece by piece. The texture in the image is so tactile, you can almost feel the way the tool dug into the linoleum. It's a relief print, so what you see is the ink left behind where the material wasn't cut away. Notice the marks that make up the falling snow, and the directionality of the marks around the castle walls. These marks add a layer of depth and movement to the scene. It's like a conversation between control and chance, which is what art-making is all about, right? The simplified forms and bold outlines remind me of the work of Emil Nolde, who was also a master printmaker. But Lichtenstein brings his own playful sensibility to the medium, creating a world that is both familiar and strange. For me, that ambiguity is where the magic happens.