Liberty Head 1986

Peter Max made this Liberty Head, and right away you see this explosion of color – so Pop! – but also kind of heartfelt. The colors aren't blended much, they sit side-by-side like a screen print, or maybe color separations in a comic book. Check out the way he lays down the paint. It's thick in places, almost sculptural, especially around the green crown and the folds of her robes. Then you get these stripes of blue, white, and red slicing down her face, so the painting is graphic, but the paint is physical. It’s almost as if Max is wrestling with this image, not just reproducing it. And look at how the black outlines aren’t perfect. It's these little imperfections, like that stray drop of paint near her eye, that make it feel so human, so alive. You could say this painting is a cousin to Warhol’s pop images, but with an added layer of psychedelic optimism. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art, like liberty, is always up for grabs, always open to reinterpretation.