Lichtenstein: A Retrospective

Surprisingly good exhibition of work at Tate Modern looking at the work of Lichtenstein

I must admit I went along thinking of Lichtenstein as the cartoon painter and therefore a bit simple but I’d not realized that a lot of his work was a study on painting and a reaction to and against other art works. The fact that they are paintings are at the heart of the work.

The tape tour was well worth taking and gave the exhibition depth but while still letting the pictures stand alone.

My favourite work was “Still life with glass and peeled lemon” which played with the idea of reflection and distortion but all in the cartoon, Pop art style. I also liked the four studio pictures being displayed together in a room so it was like looking into a space and yet you are looking out of one.

I was also interested in the room which looked at his artistic dialogue with earlier artists such as his take on Monet’s Rouen Cathedral.

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