Gullscape 1964

Roy Lichtenstein made this seascape with oil and magna on canvas. Look at the way he's used those clean, crisp outlines. It’s so mechanical, and yet, there's something really sensual about it. It reminds me that all art making is a process. I find it so striking how the Ben-Day dots create the illusion of depth and shadow. The dots mimic a mass-produced image, but up close, it’s clear these are handmade. The dots make you aware of the surface as a manufactured image, but it's all still paint. See how the thick black lines, particularly in the clouds, create a bold contrast against the dotted background? It’s like he’s daring us to see the world as both real and artificial at the same time. Lichtenstein reminds me of David Hockney. Both artists play with the way we perceive space and representation. Art is never about fixed meanings, right? It’s an invitation to see things in a new way.