Brushstrokes
Roy Lichtenstein
American, 1923–1997
1966–68
A large drawing in pencil and tusche pochoir that depicts oversized, flowing brushstrokes rendered as hard-edged, graphic forms—Lichtenstein is turning the spontaneous gesture of painting into a manufactured, comic‑book language.
You immediately notice the sweeping, ribbonlike black marks—thick, parallel strokes that seem to glide across a field of precise Ben‑Day dots—creating a charged tension between suggested motion and a flat, mechanical surface.
By translating expressive paint gestures into printed, cartoonlike motifs, Lichtenstein collapses the boundary between Abstract Expressionist authenticity and Pop Art’s mass‑production aesthetics, prompting a rethink of what a brushstroke can mean.
Medium
Pencil and tusche pochoir on paper
Dimensions
22 1/8 x 29 7/8" (56.5 x 75.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Leo Castelli in memory of Toiny Castelli
Accession
626.1987
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
