Haystack #5
Haystack #5
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£6,500-£9,500Value Indicator
$13,500-$19,000 Value Indicator
$12,000-$18,000 Value Indicator
¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator
€7,500-€11,000 Value Indicator
$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator
¥1,290,000-¥1,890,000 Value Indicator
$9,000-$13,000 Value Indicator
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52 x 78cm, Edition of 100, Planographic print
Medium: Planographic print
Edition size: 100
Year: 1969
Size: H 52cm x W 78cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: May 2023
Value Trend:
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
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Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein conveys a distinctly modernist perspective in his 1969 Haystacks, emphasising unmodulated picture planes and rich surface effects above all else. The prints in this sequence were based on a series of paintings from the early 1900s, executed by French impressionist Claude Monet.
Monet used seriality to capture the dynamic relationship between light and colour. This idea appealed greatly to Lichtenstein and he explored a number of variations on a single theme. See his masterful Cathedral seriesas another example, completed in the same year and inspired by Monet’s portrayal of the Rouen Cathedral.
In order to create dramatic alterations in the depictions of his haystacks, Lichtenstein relies solely on a bright selection of colours and his strategically arranged signature Ben Day dots. Haystack #5’s dark red and black colour combination is effectively undecipherable when monitored from a short distance. Lichtenstein seeks to parallel the objective of the original impressionist paintings, presenting the obscured image of the hayfield as a nighttime portrait.
The Haystacks present a calculated commentary on art history’s claim that mechanical reproduction is devoid of originality. In fact, the prints in this series exhibit images that are in essence purer than their source material, seeing as they are controlled through their medium of commercial design.
Roy Lichtenstein, born in New York, 1923, is a seminal figure in the Pop Art movement, renowned for his comic book and advertisement-inspired artworks. His transformative journey from classical painter to Pop Art pioneer began with his iconic piece, Look Mickey, marking the fusion of painting with pop culture. Lichtenstein’s works, including Whaam!, Drowning Girl, and Crying Girl, blend parody and satire, challenging the boundaries between popular culture and ‘high art’. With over 5,000 pieces to his name, Lichtenstein’s enduring influence resonates in contemporary art, his works celebrated in prestigious institutions worldwide.
