ROY LICHTENSTEIN, THINKING NUDE, NUDES SERIES, SCREEN PRINT IN COLOURS ON RIVES BFK PAPER, EDITION OF 40, 1994
Roy Lichtenstein’s Nudes of 1994 place cartoon imagery once again at the centre of his composition. In this series, the artist takes on the traditional art historical theme of the naked female form. While cartoon heroines have frequently featured in Lichtenstein’s creative practice, the intimate scenes captured in his Nudes depict an entirely new interpretation of femininity.
We find the intimately cropped heroine of Thinking Nude outstretched in bed. The contours of her body are obscured by heavy dots and stripes. Her right hand supports her head, which is accentuated with small colour fields of pastel. A vivid illustration of a fruit bowl sits in the upper right corner of the canvas. Similar to another print from the series titled Nude Reading, the leading lady of this composition is unaware of the world outside her comfortable interior.
Unlike traditional portraits depicting the naked body based on live models, the female figure in Lichtenstein’s Thinking Nude is an invention, expressed through his usual sardonic vernacular. In fact, the print reveals more about the artist's elaborate printing methods and the observer’s voyeuristic tendencies, than the subject matter of the female form. The white wove paper employed in Lichtenstein’s Nudes holds rich printings of ink, offset from the relief plates utilised during the printing process. This form of printing deposits voluptuous layers of pigment to paper, resulting in defined printed elements and crisp edges.
Find out more about Nudes 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.
