Lemon And Apple
Lemon And Apple
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
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Medium: Woodcut
Edition size: 60
Year: 1983
Size: H 51cm x W 61cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Meaning & Analysis
In Lemon And Apple from 1983, Roy Lichtenstein transforms brushstrokes from vehicles of expression into the subject matter of his art. This bold print firstly examines the long-standing tradition of still life painting, as immortalised by renaissance and impressionist artists.
In many respects, the work represents an abstracted version of Lichtenstein’s Six Still Lifesof 1974. Moreover, as Lemon And Apple employs an off-white backdrop devoid of any patterns, it is similar to the artist’s Seven Apple Woodcuts of the same year.
Lichtenstein here stages enlarged and intersecting strokes of colour as his main composition. The work offers a primary colour scheme of blue, red, yellow, and black. The pigments are arranged into energetic sweeps and elementary shapes symbolising fruit. Bent out of shape, the amorphic lemon and the angular apple sit side by side, their vivid colours bleeding out onto the canvas.
There is a rhythm to the artist’s dynamic sweeps, as he actively exploits the unrefined and abstract qualities of his own visual language. The expressive brushstrokes employed by Lichtenstein in this print refashion the painterly gestures utilised by the abstract expressionists. As such, Lemon And Apple constitutes the conceptual predecessor of the artist’s Brushstroke Faces of 1989.
Roy Lichtenstein, born in New York, 1923, is a seminal figure in the Pop Art movement, renowned for his comic book and advertisement-inspired artworks. His transformative journey from classical painter to Pop Art pioneer began with his iconic piece, Look Mickey, marking the fusion of painting with pop culture. Lichtenstein’s works, including Whaam!, Drowning Girl, and Crying Girl, blend parody and satire, challenging the boundaries between popular culture and ‘high art’. With over 5,000 pieces to his name, Lichtenstein’s enduring influence resonates in contemporary art, his works celebrated in prestigious institutions worldwide.