Haystack #7
Haystack #7
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
51 x 76cm, Edition of 100, Lithograph, 1969
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Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein’s Haystack series was inspired by French impressionist Claude Monet’s influential Haystack paintings of the early 1900s. Lichtenstein created his Haystacks in 1969, the same year he finalised his masterful Cathedralseries, which draws on Monet’s portrayal of the Rouen Cathedral.
The Haystack series highlights the role seriality has had in past creations, while also proving its significance for contemporary artistic exploration. The static and flat quality of Lichtenstein’s Ben Day dots stand in stark contrast to Impressionism’s aim to evoke a feeling of movement, conveying a distinctly modernist perspective.
Up close, it is clear that Haystack #7 applies a colour palette composed of black and white. Similar to Haystack #3, however, the overall composition plays on the senses when regarded from a distance, making the cluster of dots appear grey. Lichtenstein here aims to parallel the transient light depicted by Monet’s lush brushstrokes, presenting Haystack #7 as a depiction of harvest in the late hours of the afternoon.
Ultimately, the Haystacks primarily ridicule the convention dictating that mechanical reproduction stands in opposition to originality. The schematic forms and bright colours characterising the prints in this series seek to redefine the authenticity attributed to their source material.
