ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)

Roy Lichtenstein did not draw from live models when he created his Nudes. Instead, he worked from 1960's comic book images of women, removing their costumes and adding references to his earlier works such as Reflections, Imperfect, Water Lily, and Interiors Series. Surprisingly, these are Lichtenstein's first comic book style, full body depictions of the female nude subject. They bear little relation to natural form, instead embodying Lichtenstein's iconic motifs, with bright patterns and bold lines.

In the Nudes series, diagonal stripes and Ben-Day dots simultaneously evoke and flatten the picture's depth of field. These graphic techniques, typically used as short-hand to define shadow and volume, spill over the girl's body and onto her surroundings, creating a peculiar spatial conundrum that highlights the artificiality and unreliability of the image. This formal technique, a Pop chiaroscuro, gives depth to the image but also adds two-dimensional color and texture.