ROY LICHTENSTEIN, TWIN MIRRORS, MIRROR SERIES, SCREEN PRINT IN COLOURS ON WOVE PAPER, EDITION OF 250, 1970
Roy Lichtenstein’s Mirrors review the symbolism attributed to the mirror motif throughout history. The artist began his enigmatic series in the late 1960s, concluding it in the early 1990s. In art and mythology, mirrors have been used to expose hidden truths and complex perspectives. In line with the conventions of object painting, Lichtenstein keeps the formal characteristics of his mirrors intact. However, the artist liberates the object from its symbolic and functional purposes.
Twin Mirrors was executed in 1970 and presents two conjoined mirrors. The oblong shapes are rendered black and white, with indigo details. Monochrome dots span the rectangular surface, alluding to the reflective and uneven attributes of glass. Jagged lines are arranged near the edges of the canvas, indicating two respective frameworks. Lichtenstein’s use of geometric forms and intricate details both constitute and obscure his subject matter. The mirrors are presented frontally, displaying the complete absence of reflections. As such, Twin Mirrors is as much a parody, as it is an illustration of mirrors.
Over the course of his career, Lichtenstein embarked on several other series dealing with vision and representation. His Water Lilies and Reflections, for instance, explore various perceptions of light and reflection. Meanwhile, Lichtenstein’s Entablatures delve further into object painting, reproducing enlarged architectural fragments as their main composition.
Read more about Mirrors 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.