Him 1964

Curator: Hmm, instant déjà vu! That winking smile...it's so familiar, isn't it? Like a character escaped from an old comic strip. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at Roy Lichtenstein's 1964 painting, "Him," currently housed at the Saint Louis Art Museum. This piece offers a compelling glimpse into Lichtenstein's signature appropriation of popular imagery. He employed acrylic paint here. Curator: Acrylic, classic. But it’s more than just appropriation, I think. It’s about magnification, isn’t it? Blowing up the mundane, forcing us to see the artifice. Look at those perfectly placed Ben-Day dots! He's taking a generic ideal, "him," and making him into something almost menacing. That forced smile, those eyes... slightly unsettling. Editor: Absolutely. Lichtenstein challenges the very notion of originality and artistic expression. “Him” reflects a broader socio-political landscape, where mass media and advertising had come to dominate post-war American culture. This painting serves as a wry commentary on those very structures of idealized masculinity promoted by commercial entities. Curator: It’s funny, how something so flat can feel so… loaded. That almost architectural arrangement of ink somehow evokes so many levels of meaning. Makes you wonder what 'he' is thinking, this perfect picture, trapped in that picture frame. Ironic. Almost like it is 'her' looking through to scrutinize and objectify "Him". Editor: Exactly, there's an undercurrent of societal critique here, prompting questions about who is framing whom, and how pervasive images can dictate norms of behavior. Moreover, the woman hands imply that society has built the frame to confine and view such norms. The woman with perfectly manicured hands holding "Him" feels rather potent, I'd agree with the suggestion that "her" role in it seems understated, yet central, adding another layer to the cultural and art criticism. Curator: So, while it looks deceptively simple, it’s actually… a mirror. Reflecting back at us our own expectations and assumptions. A little dark humor sprinkled with mid-century aesthetics, really. Editor: Precisely. Lichtenstein invites us to confront the images that shape our understanding of the world. His artistic intervention then becomes a kind of unveiling – it compels us to reevaluate the frameworks, quite literally, that dictate societal ideals. It is both a reflection and a bold statement.