M-Maybe 1965

Roy Lichtenstein created "M-Maybe" using oil and magna on canvas. Here, we see a woman rendered in his signature Ben-Day dots and bold outlines, a style he borrowed from commercial printing and comic books. Lichtenstein emerged during a period of great upheaval in American society, particularly around questions of identity and gender roles. Mass media was becoming ever more pervasive, and women’s images were strategically deployed in advertisements and comic books. "M-Maybe" encapsulates the emotional and social complexities of women in postwar America, where traditional roles were being challenged. As Lichtenstein put it, he was interested in “anything that could be used commercially”. The thought bubble suggests a narrative of waiting and uncertainty. Ultimately, "M-Maybe" is more than a depiction of a woman in distress; it reflects a broader societal tension between image and reality, between the projected ideal and lived experience.