Insect with Umbrella 1950

Roy Lichtenstein pulled this print, "Insect with Umbrella," sometime in the 20th century. It's like he dove headfirst into a high-contrast world. The blacks are so rich, they practically vibrate against the stark white. It makes me think about the push and pull of figure and ground and how, when you're making art, that relationship is always up for grabs. Look at the lower part of the insect's body; it's all hatched lines and implied form. You can almost feel the scratching and the work involved in getting that tonality. The umbrella, on the other hand, is a set of clean, clear triangles, it’s a graphic device to offset the creature itself. Lichtenstein did a series of black and white prints around this time, maybe inspired by his contemporaries like Jasper Johns. Art's always talking to art; it's one big, messy conversation.