Studies for "Entablature" 1975

Roy Lichtenstein made these "Studies for Entablature" with graphite and colored pencil on paper. I love seeing these drawings. You know, the finished paintings are so bold and graphic, but here, you can see Lichtenstein working it out, trying different ideas. The graphite gives it a tentative, searching quality. Look at the bottom study. See how the squiggles on top are a little uneven? The colors are muted, almost like he’s whispering. It's interesting to see him riffing on classical architecture through the lens of pop art. It reminds me a bit of Giorgio de Chirico, another artist who played with classical forms in a modern way. But Lichtenstein brings his own sensibility. These studies feel like a bridge between the past and the present, between high art and pop culture. What do you think?