- Date of birth: 27 October 1923
- Date of death: 29 Sep 1997
- Country: USA
Biography:
The future master of the most popular style of art of the XX century was born in a working suburb of new York city. Education Roy received in an ordinary school, until the parents decided that their child shows undoubted ability in painting (although there was no trace), and transferred the swarm to a prestigious school for boys, where a separate subject was taught the history of art.
Learning a new subject fascinated the young boy. After graduation he spent some time attending classes in the Student League of art. The family budget could not provide training in Roy new York. He was sent to a provincial Ohio state University, whose Department of art is famous all over the country. Enthusiastically learning the basics of art and design, Lichtenstein makes the first attempt to develop his own style and manner. His earliest works were too strongly reminiscent of the paintings of Braque and Picasso. The young artist dissatisfied with himself, but depression is not reached. Roy drafted into the army, America started the war, it was 1943.
After the war, Roy manages to finish University, get a master’s degree in art and stay in school as a teacher.
For the first time your wizard is in 1948. The exhibition in Cleveland did not “start in life” for the artist. His work is not new, and the style was rather traditional for cubism.
Solo exhibition of Lichtenstein in Manhattan has attracted the attention of critics. Now in the artist’s works you can detect a mixture of two popular styles – cubism and expressionism. Theorists have noted the artist’s works in original colors and custom themes.
Teaching soon tired of Roy. He leaves his University and moved to Cleveland. Here the master is constantly changing jobs, trying to paint, but more and more disillusioned with the limitations established styles. He lacks the exclusiveness and otherness.
In the mid 50-ies of Roy drastically changed the nature of their work. Now he is attracted to comics, advertising and images associated with mass culture. The artist takes as a basis the well-known picture (a poster, a frame of a movie or part of a comic book) and turns it into a work of art.
At first, the work of Roy only cause confusion and frustration. But very soon he has fans, and criticism timidly suggests that it is possible to Liechtenstein for the first time introduced the world to a new style.
60-ies became for the artist a time of creative recovery and world-wide fame. His work is bought by the most prestigious gallery held several exhibitions of Liechtenstein in Europe. The name of the new style of “pop art” is no surprise. Appear followers.
70-e and 80-e years – time approval and final design aesthetics of the new style and ideological component. Once created the Liechtenstein style is widely distributed in the world, he is no longer interested in Roy. The last years of his life (the artist died in 1997) master of surprising his fans with works in the style of abstract expressionism and non-classical.
Roy Lichtenstein entered the history of world art as the Creator of a new contemporary style as the master who several times radically changed the style of writing and aesthetic program. All his life he was looking for something that will distinguish it from the mass of artists. Today the paintings of Lichtenstein sold at auction for tens of millions of dollars.