Haystack #6
Haystack #6
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
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34 x 60cm, Edition of 100, Planographic print
Medium: Planographic print
Edition size: 100
Year: 1969
Size: H 34cm x W 60cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: September 2021
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Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein repeatedly referenced various artists and schools of art historical thought over the course of his career. In 1969, he paraphrased French impressionist Claude Monet’s painterly studies dealing with the transience of light and colour in two masterful series of prints.
Both his Haystack series and his Cathedral series integrate colourful painterly gestures with the readymade qualities of printmaking. By doing so, they address hierarchical notions pinning high art against low art.
Lichtenstein’s Haystacks present a mechanical version of Monet’s stacks of harvest from 1891, directing criticism at art history’s claim that serial 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.
In his Haystack prints, Lichtenstein replaces the spontaneous impressionist brushstrokes with his calculated signature Ben Day dots. Minimising the presence of light, he applies colour and hand-painted patterns as a means to parallel the objective of the original impressionist paintings. Similar to Haystack #5, Haystack #6 depicts the obscured image of the hayfield at nighttime. This is demonstrated through the dark red backdrop, which elevates the print’s black centre composition of the haystack.
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.
