Yellow Vase 1990

Roy Lichtenstein made this 'Yellow Vase' sometime in his career, likely using screenprinting techniques. The flat planes of color and bold outlines are immediately recognizable, it’s as if Lichtenstein is setting the stage for a play, a really cool play. Look at the way he uses Ben-Day dots, not just as a mechanical reproduction thing, but as a way to create texture and depth in a super graphic way. And those diagonal stripes? They make the whole room vibrate. The plants have this almost glittery texture, a weird contrast to the flatness of everything else. It's like he’s saying, "Yeah, this is fake, but it's also real in its own way." It makes me think of someone like David Hockney, another artist who's obsessed with flattening space and playing with color. But where Hockney is all about capturing a certain kind of light and mood, Lichtenstein is more interested in the idea of the image itself. It's all a big game, and we're all invited to play.