IndexKairosAudienceTopicConclusionRoy Lichtenstein, a pop artist of the 1960s, became famous for his use of comics as high art. Using comic book-inspired imagery, Lichtenstein created emotionally taxing scenes of damsels in distress. Sometimes Lichtenstein would use real comics and cut them up to portray only the woman in distress, recreate her as a painting, and call it his work. Other times he created his comic-book-like images. In his images Lichtenstein did not paint the dots by hand. “Instead, he used various types of stencils with perforated dot patterns. He brushed paint onto the top of the stencil and the colors fell like perfect circles. In doing so, he elevated commercial images from comics and advertisements to art” (Stamberg). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In creating these mock comic book images, Lichtenstein challenged viewers to question the meaning and guidelines of fine, high art. This was, by and large, the philosophy of pop artists of the time. Pop artists created subjects for their art from "common household items, consumer product advertisements, celebrity icons, fast food, cartoons, and mass media images from television, magazines, and newspapers" ("Art in the Years '60"). Artists reproduce the likeness of one of these elements of popular culture, sometimes replicating almost the exact same image, as Lichtenstein did. This technique commented on consumerism and the development of modern times and ideals. American consumerism exploded in the 1950s and continued to grow exponentially into the 1960s. The art created by Pop artists showed repetition in real life and attempted to draw connections between real life and the high world of art by integrating everyday products and images into the visual arts. The need was not a current issue that either the speakers or the audience wanted to discuss. The speakers – the artists – brought the issue to attention and made the audience react and reflect on the ideas presented. Lichtenstein also addressed the concept of communication and relationships in his work. If you take a look at the three paintings pictured above, you can identify a common theme. All troubled women seem to have trouble dealing with a man. They all mention a man's name or "he". This is also a commentary on the culture of the 1960s, when women gained more sexual and mental freedom. KairosModerismo, which began its development in 1900, is said to have been started with Pablo Picasso's restructuring of traditional elements. The father of abstraction, Picasso inspired many later artists such as Jackson Pollock. Pollock, an abstract expressionist, was one of the most famous of his genre. Abstract Expressionism originated in the 1930s but came to the forefront of the art world in the 1950s. Abstract Expressionism changed the message of fine art; it has become unrepresentative. This genre of art focused on the medium, paint and canvas, rather than a subject. After abstract expressionism was widely disapproved of by critics, pop art began to grow. “At the same time that Lichtenstein was discovering that he could use popular culture to ask probing questions about concept, form and technique, Andy Warhol was also using comics, quite independently, in his experimental work: neither artist knew this yet , but pop art was about to rise fully formed from the brow of America” (Churchwell). Pop art focused on the culture of the 1960s and channeled events andcurrent inventions. Artists have always drawn from cultural events and issues to create message and meaning in their artwork, but right now they have drawn from nothing other than consumerism and everyday life. Citizens had never interacted with the market as they had before the time, and artists saw this development as intriguing. Consumerism had grown like an epidemic and artists saw the havoc it was causing. As the American population strived to purchase the newest television or appliance, pop artists commented on this disease and saw the deterioration that this never-ending race had on the population. Citizens had begun to dedicate their lives to working for the newest commodity; artists began to dedicate their work to portraying the ruin that this behavior would lead to. Audience As an artist, Roy Lichtenstein had both a direct and indirect audience. His direct audience was the average citizen. Using “distressing shots, often depicting women in difficulty” (Stamberg), Lichtenstein appeals to the emotions of the common person. In Lichtenstein’s “Drowning Girl,” a woman sinks into a body of water exclaiming, “I don't care! I would rather sink than ask Brad for help!” The woman is crying and has an eerie calm all over her face and body. Her hand is limp, showing that she has given up. Stamberg states that "it is interesting that he [Lichtenstein] managed to evoke such strong emotions using such a cold and mechanical dot process." Commenting on the intensity of drama in our society, Lichtenstein emotionally captured the attention of ordinary people, but held their attention when they began to contemplate the true message of the work. Lichtenstein's indirect audience was the world of fine arts and critics. Lichtenstein's intentions were interpreted very differently than he had hoped. Critics rejected the idea that popular culture had a place in the art world and that it could be used to convey a message. Lichtenstein had assumed that communication was the basis of all visual art, while critics seemed to disagree. Although Lichtenstein's work was representative, critics still seemed to reject it as they had abstract expressionism due to its similar values. Critics of the time were still rooted in more traditional beliefs about art and its definitions and guidelines. Lichtenstein's work was considered mediocre at the time he practiced, and only recently has pop art received great value and approval. Lichtenstein's "iconic and impactful images have since become synonymous with pop art, and his method of image-making, which blended aspects of mechanical reproduction and hand-drawing, has become central to critics' understanding of the meaning of the movement" ("The Art Story"). TopicLichtenstein's character as an artist does not shine through in his art due to the subject matter, but his competence is high attended summer courses at the Art Students League of New York and worked with Reginald Marsh, a painter best known for his depictions of New York City. Lichtenstein later studied at the Ohio State University with interruptions, including some time in army during World War II and a visit home to see his dying father. He later studied with Hoyt Sherman, one of his professors, who is said to have had a huge impact on Lichtenstein through his teaching method. He would project the images onto a screen and then ask his students to draw what..