Study for left panel of "Cow Triptych (Cow Going Abstract)" 1974

Roy Lichtenstein made this study for a cow triptych on paper, using a graphic style of drawing and bold colors, maybe as a kind of comic book riff on a farm scene. The bright yellow field and blue sky feel flat, almost like stage sets. The cow itself is outlined with a clean, dark line, and filled with diagonal stripes giving it volume. What strikes me is how Lichtenstein simplifies everything, reducing the cow to these basic shapes and lines. It’s kind of funny actually, this idea of taking something so natural and turning it into something so Pop. Look at the shadow under the cow, it’s so simple, just a dark shape that gives the whole image a sense of depth, but it’s also totally artificial. It makes me think of the way Warhol took everyday objects and made them iconic. I guess Lichtenstein is doing the same here, turning a regular cow into a symbol. It's an ongoing conversation, each artist building on what came before.