Imperfect Diptych (C. 219)
Imperfect Diptych (C. 219)
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
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117 x 232cm, Edition of 45, Planographic print
Medium: Planographic print
Edition size: 45
Year: 1988
Size: H 117cm x W 232cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: October 2020
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Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein’s pioneering effort to breathe new life into long-established art historical genres distinguished him as a key figure of American Pop Art. His infamous artistic oeuvre, although seemingly mass-produced at first glance, was executed manually and with laborious precision.
Created between 1978 and 1995, his Perfect/Imperfect series is a sensational example of the varied technical and formal strategies implemented by Lichtenstein. Although they were created concurrently and are thematically identical, the two series manifest the same composition differently. Whereas the shapes in the Perfect prints adapt to the framework, the Imperfect prints pointedly undermine pictorial boundaries.
Imperfect Diptych 46, completed in 1988, is a stunning unison of the two sequences. The print is based on the historical tradition of altarpieces, and therefore depicts the illusion of a paired print on a single panel. Instead of a continuous but divided composition, Lichtenstein composes separate but closely related images. The two sides are joined in a similar fashion through their colour scheme and geometrical shapes. The left image is contained within the limits of its base, while the right side is a distinct Imperfect creation, breaking out of its frame with one sharp stab.
