Imperfect painting 1986

This “Imperfect Painting” by Roy Lichtenstein is a trip, isn’t it? You can imagine him building this up—layer by layer—shifting, correcting, and intuitively piecing together the composition. I like to think about what he might have been thinking when he made it. Lichtenstein was always playing with these very graphic, almost cartoon-like forms and ideas. What does it mean to make an "imperfect painting"? Well, I see these crisp triangles butted up against planes of solid yellow, silver, and brown. Lichtenstein has carefully delineated all of these hard-edged forms with a thick black line. The paint application is quite thin, which feels so very deliberate for him. The overall effect is super flat and cool. But, where is the imperfection? Artists are always in conversation with each other, riffing on ideas, responding, and pushing back. I find the ongoing exchange across time so inspiring. When we embrace ambiguity, the possibilities for new ways of seeing and thinking emerge.