Whammo! 'Roy Lichtenstein: Interiors' Hits the Museum of Contemporary Art with Bold Colors, Distinct Images and Comic Strip Benday Dots

Vitello, Barbara, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)

Byline: Barbara Vitello Daily Herald Staff Writer

Roy Lichtenstein's paintings are the visual equivalent of a comic strip "whammo!"

Looking at a Lichtenstein - with its bold primary colors, razor-sharp images outlined in black and Benday dots used in commercial printing - was like viewing a Marvel or a DC Comic under a microscope.

Inspired by comic strips and the Sunday funnies, Lichtenstein (1923-1997) transformed mundane images into masterworks that were immediately accessible and enormously engaging. In the process, he helped usher in the most significant American art movement of the 20th century.

And now, more than 30 years after he elevated campy cartoon images to the pantheon of high art, he continues to resonate with artists and fans alike. While Andy Warhol's soup cans remain a quaint reminder of Pop Art's heyday, Lichtenstein's influence continues to dominate not only contemporary art, but pop culture consciousness as well.

Earlier this month, for example, "Newsweek" featured a …

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Publication information: Article title: Whammo! 'Roy Lichtenstein: Interiors' Hits the Museum of Contemporary Art with Bold Colors, Distinct Images and Comic Strip Benday Dots. Contributors: Vitello, Barbara - Author. Newspaper title: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). Publication date: July 23, 1999. Page number: 32. © 2009 Paddock Publications. COPYRIGHT 1999 Gale Group.

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