ROY LICHTENSTEIN, IMPERFECT DIPTYCH 46 1/4“ X 91 3/8”, PERFECT/IMPERFECT SERIES, MIXED MEDIA, WOODCUT AND SCREEN PRINT WITH COLLAGE IN COLOURS, EDITION OF 45, 1988
Roy Lichtenstein’s pioneering effort to breathe new life into long-established art historical genres distinguished him as a key figure of American Pop Art. His infamous artistic oeuvre, although seemingly mass-produced at first glance, was executed manually and with laborious precision.
Created between 1978 and 1995, his Perfect/Imperfect series is a sensational example of the varied technical and formal strategies implemented by Lichtenstein. Although they were created concurrently and are thematically identical, the two series manifest the same composition differently. Whereas the shapes in the Perfect prints adapt to the framework, the Imperfect prints pointedly undermine pictorial boundaries.
Imperfect Diptych 46, completed in 1988, is a stunning unison of the two sequences. The print is based on the historical tradition of altarpieces, and therefore depicts the illusion of a paired print on a single panel. Instead of a continuous but divided composition, Lichtenstein composes separate but closely related images. The two sides are joined in a similar fashion through their colour scheme and geometrical shapes. The left image is contained within the limits of its base, while the right side is a distinct Imperfect creation, breaking out of its frame with one sharp stab.
Read more about the Perfect/Imperfect series 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.
