Roy Lichtenstein: How Modern Art Was Saved by Donald Duck

by Alastair Sooke

A Penguin Special on Roy Lichtenstein by Alastair Sooke - read in 2 hours or less

'Why, Brad darling, this painting is a masterpiece! My, soon you'll have all of New York clamoring for your work!'

Roy Lichtenstein - architect of Pop art, connoisseur of the comic strip, master of irony and prophet of popular culture.

From exhilarating images of ice-cool jet pilots in dog fights, to blue-haired Barbie dolls drowning in scenes of domestic heartache, Lichtenstein's instantly recognisable paintings, with their Ben-Day dots and witty one-liners, defined the art of a generation. But how did a jobbing, unassuming painter of the Fifties become a world-famous Pop artist whose work today sells for millions? What do his paintings really tell us? And what is his legacy?

This book, by art critic and broadcaster Alastair Sooke, is a perfect introduction to the artist and his work. Spanning Lichtenstein's career, and explaining his unique style, it is a journey through the life of one of the twentieth century's greatest artists.

Published in time for a major new retrospective of the work of Roy Lichtenstein.

'Sooke is an immensely engaging character. He has none of the weighty self-regard that often afflicts art experts and critics; rather he approaches his subjects with a questioning, open, exploratory attitude' Sarah Vine, The Times

'His shows are excellent - clever, lively, scholarly, but not too lecturey; he's very good at linking his painters with the world outside the studio, and at how these artists have affected the world today' Sam Wollaston reviewing 'Modern Masters', Guardian

Alastair Sooke is deputy art critic of the Daily Telegraph. He has written and presented documentaries on television and radio for the BBC, including Modern Masters, an acclaimed BBC One series that chronicled modern art in the twentieth century. Since 2009 he has reported regularly for The Culture Show on BBC Two. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography

52 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[Katrina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I brought Alastair Sooke’s book Roy Lichtenstein: How Modern Art was Saved by Donald Duck immediately before going to see the Lichtenstein retrospective at the Tate Modern. To be honest my two main attractions to this book were I knew nothing about the artist –beside knowing a few of his works– and I recognized Sooke’s name from his BBC 4 documentary series Treasures of the Roman Empire. I expected this book to be like the documentary: enjoyable and comprehensible, but a little bit simplistic. I was right. Sooke writes in an engaging manner. The text is easy to interact with. The introduction of the book focuses on just on Lichtenstein and his work. This gives the reader preview to the rest of the book. It is not a biography that reveals juicy details about the personal life of the artist. Instead it provides a comprehensive and detailed look into the intertwining of several stages of Lichtenstein’s work, mainly concentrating on his method and philosophy. He was a pop artist who used common things as a style and concentrated on his form, not just communication of the message behind the objects. His style was the idea of the image that the viewer had in his or her head, not the image itself. He did this by generalizing the object, after painting pictures like Look Mickey, which used recognizable cartoon characters. This caused him to start discovering his style and grow as an artist. Thus, while it is pretentious to say, “Modern art was saved by Donald Duck,” it is not unreasonable to say Lichtenstein’s career was saved by Donald Duck. My one complaint Sooke only explores this one theory of Lichtenstein work. I would have liked other ways to read Lichtenstein – no matter how small or inconsequential it may seem -- presented. However, for 50 pages I think Sooke did the right thing in concentrating on one particular reading of Lichtenstein. Overall, it is a great introduction to modern art.

[Za · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of Lichtenstein’s work and technique. The writing is accessible, informative, and explores some of the deeper themes and ideas in the artist’s work.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
When humour, cynicism and cultural critique come together and are produced from one mind and translated into art. An “assault on abstract art”. “Transporting place and time” - constructs shifted but not fully removed
Representations of reality, Anonymity vs identity, Art, mostly importantly, as a communicator! I disagree about the ‘elimination of personality’ and look forward to embracing more of these short analytical pieces in a time when our museums and art galleries are closed

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always liked Lichtenstein's comic-inspired art, and this was a good grounding in how his style developed. Quick.

[Greg Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short overview, written well - not over complicated like most art books these days.