Roy Lichtenstein “Crying Girl” circa 1963

“Pop Art is actually industrial painting; it is what the whole world will soon become.”
-Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein is a artist known all over the world based on his distinctive style. One of the most famous Pop art artists, he has created along with Warhol, a type of art called Pop Art. Lichtenstein is a artist whose passion comes from a different angle. Having no art education excluding college, he was free to explore art as a hobby and create his own recognizable style.
Lichtenstein created “Crying Girl” with Magna paint. Magna paint is the first kind of acrylic paint. This is important because this was the first time that this type of paint was in high art. His “comic book” style of painting is what makes him recognizable. This piece actually was a character in a DC comic book. There is some criticism of the originality of his paintings; however, nothing illegal came out of his work. Lichtenstein believed that his work wasn’t about the media, it wasn’t about pop culture, and it wasn’t about himself. He said that his art was just that, art. He drew inspiration from everything. What he watched on TV, and even down to what his son told him to do. His son bet him that he couldn’t paint a picture better than Disney’s Mickey Mouse, and then he came out with “Mickey” (1961). He too believed that his work didn’t have anything to do with him other than using him as a tool to be made.
Roy became a professor of art at various colleges in the Northeast of the United States, even coming to SUNY Oswego only to leave because of the weather. He explored his art with the passion of an artist with a message, but he didn’t have one. He felt that his art was a picture to hang on the wall, and we as America loved having him on our wall. His paintings are all over the world; however, “Crying Girl” is hanging in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This piece at the time gets out there the display of a different kind at the time. Everyone had seen Warhol’s Pop Art, but a new artist came out and his name was Lichtenstein. He added variety to this type of art at the time, an through his teaching, he has influenced future generations of artist. His career was full of modesty. He didn’t consort with celebrities like Warhol, he stayed at home with his wife and kids, for an artist of this period, he stayed humble.
The affect of this piece is one of greatness for this countries art. It looks like something that has been cut out of magazine, but somebody made that. Lichtenstein also left his estate to the people to form a foundation. The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation is also a large foundation to help support artists and their works much like Warhol’s. His life and works are immortalized with his contribution to Pop Art with his foundation.
“Crying Girl” was a step in the right direction for Pop Art. It helped pave the way for other artists to continue spreading the variety of art, and he is a great example of a Beatnik. Not caring what anybody else though but himself.