Red Apple and Yellow Apple 1983

Roy Lichtenstein made this Red Apple and Yellow Apple print. Look at how he takes these everyday objects, but instead of making them ‘real,’ he makes them super stylized and graphic. It’s like he’s thinking about how we see rather than what we see. The way he’s used these thick, almost cartoonish lines, especially in the black outlines, gives the whole thing a real punch. The red and yellow marks inside the apples, they’re so bold and declarative, you can almost feel the drag of the squeegee, the layering of the inks. It’s not trying to hide the process; it’s all about the process. Notice where he lays these strokes, it is not about realism but about mark making. It reminds me of some of the Pop Art guys like Warhol, but with a bit more… I don’t know… sass? Lichtenstein takes these simple forms and blows them up, turns them into something almost confrontational. Art isn’t about answers. It’s about how we keep looking, questioning, and playing.