A Stroke of Genius at the Hirshhorn

Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke. 1996 (2003)
Painted aluminum, 32’ high

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was best known for his affiliation with the American Pop art movement that emerged in the 1960’s. His initial success was in painting, but according to Hirshhorn archives, Lichtenstein began creating large-scale sculptures in the 1980’s. The sculpture Brushstroke outside the Hirshhorn Museum is reminiscent of one of his early paintings entitled Little Big Picture. The subject of the painting is brushstrokes with bold, black outlines. 

     Perhaps Lichtenstein reflected upon persistent debates in the visual arts. A controversy among nineteenth-century painters focused on the significance of line versus color. Today these two art elements may seem like the basis for a trivial dispute, but it had major ramifications for painters.  Artists began to paint with color directly on the canvas, instead of layering pigments over a preliminary line drawing. The traditional approach concealed brushstrokes, and pigments were placed in thin layers of glaze on the canvas. This technique made the surface of the painting appear very smooth. In contrast, the new method emphasized direct brushstrokes of color that provided actual texture to the surface of a canvas. This controversial method contributed to a split between academic circles and the avant-garde artists.  Another debate pertained to the hierarchy of subject matter, and formal academies regarded historical and mythological subjects as prestigious.  Lichtenstein recognized the value of very personal mark-making and hence elevated the brushstroke as subject. Another mid-twentieth century American movement, Abstract Expressionism, also valued the immediacy of emotional, gestural mark-making. 

     In 1996, Lichtenstein created a small model for Brushstroke, and the monumental five-ton sculpture was fabricated several years after his death. The viewer cannot ignore the significance of Lichtenstein’s mark-making as the sculpture reaches for the sky. The scale of Lichtenstein’s sculpture also shares affinity with another artist, Claes Oldenburg, who was known for recreating small everyday objects to a massive size as sculpture.

     Lichtenstein’s paintings and sculptures are located in museum collections around the world. Currently, a major retrospective of Lichtenstein’s work is exhibited at The Pompidou Centre in Paris from July until November.

References:

Adams, Laurie Schneider. The Making and Meaning of Art.  New Jersey: Pearson Prentice  Hall, 2007.

Roy Lichtenstein Brushstroke. The Hirshhorn Museum. http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/home/#collection=home&detail=http%3A//www.hirshhorn.si.edu/bio/hirshhorn-acquires-monumental-work-by-roy-lichtenstein/ (accessed July, 9, 2013). 

Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History, Third edition. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

The Centre Pompidou. http://www.centrepompidou.fr/en (accessed July 9, 2013).