arts&entertainment Retrospective Pops at National Gallery
E
ntering an exhibit for Roy Lichtenstein’s art is a bit like stepping into both a comic book and Saturday morning cartoon. Known as the man who defined and redefined pop art, Lichtenstein created pieces that are whimsically simple; a multitude of dots, straight lines and basic colors compose the majority of his work, although everything from Mickey Mouse to nude paintings are on display. Often known as a lighter counterpart to Andy Warhol, The National Gallery’s new exhibit, “Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective” offers a vivid, playful depiction of 1950s America. Set up in distinct sections representing Lichtenstein’s different creative periods, the exhibit is as accessible as the art, which utilizes power, scale and giddy dignity to represent mid-19th century consumerism and domesticity. “Look Mickey,” his first painting, greets every museumgoer with the familiar sight of Disney characters. Although it helped the struggling artist begin to be taken seriously, it boasts figures we are familiar with even today. Lichtenstein pulled inspiration from life as we know it; in his black-and-white works, entire canvases are taken over by tires, composition books, balls of twine, radios, desk calendars and waters fizzing with
Alka-Seltzer tablets. Here, the subjects are isolated, and the artist is hidden; observers are forced to realize that although these material objects may seem vitally important to us, they appear almost inconsequential when we expect to see art but only see everyday items. Perhaps best known for his romance and war paintings, Lichtenstein drew upon comic books in order to create art that literally tells a story. Each romance piece features a woman talking with or thinking about a man and are intended to represent the limited role of woman in 1950s society. He utilizes basic colors and facial expressions to portray the underlying emotion: for example, “Ohhh… Alright…” features a woman with a phone frowning, her forehead crinkled with a combination of disappointment and annoyance, emotions that are further emphasized by her fire-truck red hair, the only non-neutral color in the piece. In “Drowning Girl,” another young woman is seen embroiled in tumultuous waves, her romantic woes underscored by her blue hair and gushing tears. The war paintings are similar but instead feature military figures inspired by the then-popular DC comic, “All-Ameri-
can Men of War.” Some are designed as comic book strips, such as “As I Opened Fire,” which is broken into three sections with bright yellow text boxes, while others are explosion-dominated canvases. However, each represents what Lichtenstein refers to as the “pregnant moment” — the crux from which one might imagine the rest of the story. The paintings are almost grotesquely cartoonish in their depiction of war and gender roles in society, but that’s a large part of their impact. Scrutinizing Roy Lichtenstein’s art is similar to flipping through the Sunday comics and the simplicity only helps to emphasize the materialistic, violent, and often sexually imbalanced nature of midcentury culture. But Lichtenstein developed beyond the cartoon-style; in his later years, he created Picasso-like still lives and chaotic representations of women in “Femme d’Alger.” He experimented with circular canvases intended to reflect mirrors, and he delved into complete abstractions. He dedicated a period of his career to nudes, and before his rather abrupt death, Lichtenstein concluded with his “landscapes in the Chinese style” that feature less color and more artistic delicacy where his
kim bussing Special to The Hoya
NGA.ORG
POP OFF THE CANVAS Lichtenstein’s art is known for its dramatic primary colors. dots transition into a part of the physical background. Roy Lichtenstein’s pieces are distinctive, and you never forget your first time. His style is unforgettable and identifiable in its overstated bright colors and understated representation of 1950s American society. The exhibit is a dynamic collection of Lichtenstein’s vastly diverse, culturally relevant artwork that offers engaging paintings and sculptures sure to appeal to any visitor, even if he can’t differentiate between a Picasso and a Monet.
ring by spring
Old-School Misogyny Meets Modern-Day Technology
T
his past week, I violated one of my own cardinal rules of social media: Do not be involved in a political or ideological debate on Facebook. You know how when you’re scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed and you come across that status made in jest that is related to a social issue, but someone comments on it with a paragraph of opinionated politics that just kills the mood? Nobody likes that guy. That guy makes things awkward. But I was “that guy.” In my defense, the status was that of a male quite close to me and was slightly offensive towards women. Given my relation with this gentleman, I felt less bad about raining on his manly parade. Not to mention, as a feminist, I seized the opportunity to make sure the men closest to me understand a few things about being a lady. The young gentleman in question updated his Facebook status saying, “OMG U GUYZ SEE THAT LAY UP IN THE WNBA FINALZ? Nah me neither nobody did.” Now let me clarify one thing that
Let me take my feelings outside of the I’m not sure I was able to convey in my one string of politically obnoxious context of professional female athletics Facebook comments: I know not a lot because — let’s face it, although I may of people watch professional women’s have a sweet spot from the top corner basketball. What I was trying to convey of the key and a left-handed layup, my is this: Female professional athletes are height just leaves me not cut out for the largely ignored by popular media. In big leagues. This status got me particularly fiery doing this, my dear friend unintentionbecause the ideas behind it ally perpetuated this misogwill soon be directly appliynistic idea that a woman in cable to my life. Women in a professional athletic field many professional fields are is a comedic anomaly. The still tokenized, seen as anomback-and-forth comment alies or even “cute.” No, it fight was kept “fun” and doesn’t happen everywhere danced the line around MeaganKelly and does not apply across the awkward by sticking lightboard, and, yes, it is 2012, and hearted, unrelated jokes in thanks to countless women between point-making but ultimately, I pulled out of the debate who’ve come before me, I have nearly because I realized my point would not every opportunity open to me in this be perfectly made without getting se- country. But it does happen. And whethrious — and I just wasn’t ready to go er it’s conscious or not, something althere. I realized if I truly wanted him ways hangs in the back of a young gal’s to understand the offensive nature of mind when she applies for jobs or even his comment, I could have a reasonable chooses a major: Don’t get too upset over conversation with him outside of a pub- anything because then you’re the “overly emotional woman.” These stereotype lic forum — or write an article about it.
threats are subconsciously dictating our every move. But there’s nothing unusual about my and every other woman’s excelling in whatever we do. No one should be impressed that I can contribute to a political debate. I’m a human being, I’m literate and I have access to the Internet. And just because there aren’t hundreds of thousands of people tuning in to watch a woman play basketball professionally doesn’t mean the players don’t want to see their profession to be minimized or to be seen as something of a rarity. Now I know the referred-to young man has read this and is thinking I’ve gone way overboard reacting to a light-hearted Facebook status. But it’s election season, and thus the season to take small comments out of context and blow them out of proportion in order to further your own agenda. Now what’s this I heard about binders full of women? Meagan Kelly is a senior in the College. RING BY SPRING appears every Friday in the guide.
10.26.12 | the guide | 13