ROY LICHTENSTEIN, GRANDPA, BRUSHSTROKE FACES SERIES, MIXED MEDIA LITHOGRAPH, WAX TYPE, WOODCUT AND SCREEN PRINT ON SAUNDERS WATERFORD PAPER, EDITION OF 60, 1989
The works in Roy Lichtenstein’s late 1980s Brushstroke Faces series ponder the symbolic power of brushstrokes. In Grandpa, Lichtenstein transforms this fundamental painterly gesture into the main protagonist of his composition.
Grandpa is constructed out of pale blue, purple and boldly outlined grey sweeps. Similar to another work in the series titled Blue Face, the print imitates the mannerism of the abstract expressionists. Reinforced by its blunt title, the simplified composition is imbued with irony.
In this work, the artist satirises Abstract Expressionism’s claim that brushstrokes are meant to relay subconscious messages. Lichtenstein's Grandpa proves that every stroke is consciously performed and predetermined. Exploiting the abstract qualities of Lichtenstein’s own pictorial language, the expressive potential of the brushstroke here helps explore the formal concerns of painting itself.
The production of this print combined a number of different printing processes, including lithography, screen print and woodcut. Beeswax was employed for the lithographs in this series, as an alternative to printer’s ink. This in turn induced a polished surface texture once printed on the exquisite watercolour paper utilised by the Brushwork Faces series.
Find out more about Brushstroke Faces by Roy Lichtenstein.
ABOUT ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Born in Manhattan in 1923, Roy Lichtenstein was a leading figure in the Pop Art movement during the second half of the 20th century. His distinctive artistic style is inspired by the visual language of consumerism and advertising that pervaded American popular culture at the time, and his work recalls a society of widespread commercialism that has remained powerfully relevant to this day. Learn more about Roy Lichtenstein.
