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Roy Lichtenstein — Crying Girl
Roy Lichtenstein

Crying Girl

1963

Crying Girl, executed in 1963, stands as a seminal example of Roy Lichtenstein's groundbreaking Pop Art vocabulary. This striking color lithography offset captures the raw emotion of a distraught woman, rendered with the artist's signature visual language. The image is defined by its stark black outlines, a limited yet impactful palette of yellow, red, and white, and the pervasive use of Ben-Day dots that simulate commercial printing techniques. The woman's tear-filled eyes and hand covering her mouth convey a dramatic narrative, directly referencing the melodramatic aesthetics of romance comic books, a primary source for Lichtenstein during this period. Her flowing blonde hair, rendered in bold, graphic strokes, frames a face overwhelmed by sorrow, a powerful moment frozen in time and elevated to the realm of high art. Lichtenstein's deliberate appropriation of popular culture imagery, particularly from comic strips, profoundly challenged the prevailing tenets of Abstract Expressionism, ushering in a new era of art that embraced mass media and consumer culture. In Crying Girl, the mechanical reproduction suggested by the Ben-Day dots creates a fascinating tension with the intensely emotional subject matter. This stylistic choice not only de-personalizes the image but also invites viewers to consider the constructed nature of emotion and narrative in media. The artwork serves as a critical commentary on the portrayal of women in popular culture, often depicted in states of distress or longing, and the commercialization of sentiment. As a multiple, this piece underscores Lichtenstein's commitment to democratizing art, making it accessible while simultaneously questioning its traditional boundaries.

Medium
Multiple, color lithography offset on light paper

🔨 Auction Lot

Martini Studio d'Arte: Modern & Contemporary Art (December 2018)

December 20, 2018

Estimate: €15,000 to €20,000

Lot 11

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About this work

Roy Lichtenstein, Crying Girl, 1963

Crying Girl, executed in 1963, stands as a seminal example of Roy Lichtenstein's groundbreaking Pop Art vocabulary. This striking color lithography offset captures the raw emotion of a distraught woman, rendered with the artist's signature visual language. The image is defined by its stark black outlines, a limited yet impactful palette of yellow, red, and white, and the pervasive use of Ben-Day dots that simulate commercial printing techniques. The woman's tear-filled eyes and hand covering her mouth convey a dramatic narrative, directly referencing the melodramatic aesthetics of romance comic books, a primary source for Lichtenstein during this period. Her flowing blonde hair, rendered in bold, graphic strokes, frames a face overwhelmed by sorrow, a powerful moment frozen in time and elevated to the realm of high art. Lichtenstein's deliberate appropriation of popular culture imagery, particularly from comic strips, profoundly challenged the prevailing tenets of Abstract Expressionism, ushering in a new era of art that embraced mass media and consumer culture. In Crying Girl, the mechanical reproduction suggested by the Ben-Day dots creates a fascinating tension with the intensely emotional subject matter. This stylistic choice not only de-personalizes the image but also invites viewers to consider the constructed nature of emotion and narrative in media. The artwork serves as a critical commentary on the portrayal of women in popular culture, often depicted in states of distress or longing, and the commercialization of sentiment. As a multiple, this piece underscores Lichtenstein's commitment to democratizing art, making it accessible while simultaneously questioning its traditional boundaries.

Medium
Multiple, color lithography offset on light paper
Year
1963
Seen at
Martini Studio d'Arte

Related themes

Consumer Culture, Graphic Style, Male Artist, Primary Colors, Narrative Art, Modernist, Mid Century, Mass Media, Printmaking, Popular Culture, Female Subject, Appropriation Art, Bold Outlines, American Artist, Emotional Expression, Pop Art, Figurative Art, Portrait, Ben Day Dots, Lithograph, Yellow And Red, Comic Book Art

More works by Roy Lichtenstein

Collected by

Sebastián In Situ, Jim Arnone, Brian Stevens, Hamilton Selway Gallery, Art Institute of Chicago, Jonathan Wolf, Becky Tompkins, Sebastián Naranjo