Study for New York State Mural 1968

Roy Lichtenstein made this Study for New York State Mural, and you know, it's all about that pop art punch—bold colors, graphic lines, and those iconic Ben-Day dots. Just imagine him in the studio, meticulously plotting out each section, each contrast, each color. There's this push-and-pull feeling, right? Like, how does the energy of art deco meet pure abstraction? Check out that lightning bolt, the sun rising, and waves crashing—what’s the link? It’s like he’s grabbing different moods and slapping them together. You can sense the energy, but then, it is so controlled, isn't it? That gives it this whole other layer of tension. I imagine him thinking about Leger and Stuart Davis, but then going his own way, throwing in the dots, blowing up the scale, making it his own. Artists are always riffing off each other, and I guess this reminds me that we’re all in this big conversation.