Best Buddies 1991

Roy Lichtenstein made "Best Buddies" using screen printing techniques. Look at the areas of flat, pure colour, like the screaming yellow and the cool grey, and how they butt up against each other. There is a real tension between the graphic boldness and the fluid, almost cartoon-like forms. The black outlines give it that comic book feel, but then there are these diagonal red stripes that add another layer of visual buzz. I love how he takes these simple shapes and colours and turns them into something so dynamic. It’s almost like he's playing with the idea of what a painting can be, pushing it towards something more graphic and immediate. Thinking about other artists, someone like Peter Halley, who’s also into hard-edged abstraction, comes to mind, but Lichtenstein’s got this playful, pop art energy that’s all his own.