Cathedral #4 from Cathedral Series
Roy Lichtenstein
American, 1923–1997
1969
A large lithograph (with screenprinting) in which Lichtenstein uses his signature Ben‑Day dot system to reduce the image of a Gothic cathedral to a mechanically produced, pop‑graphic field.
From a distance the print reads like a vaulted, architectural interior, but up close the regimented blue and red dots dissolve the image into a shimmering, industrial pattern that makes the subject hover between representation and abstraction.
By applying commercial printing techniques and comic‑derived optics to a traditionally sacred subject, Lichtenstein blurred the line between high and low art and showed how mechanical reproduction reshapes visual experience in the era of mass media.
Medium
One from a series of six lithographs (one with screenprint)
Dimensions
composition: 41 13/16 × 26 15/16" (106.2 × 68.4 cm); sheet: 48 7/16 × 32 3/8" (123 × 82.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David Gensburg
Accession
347.1971
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
