Roy Lichtenstein: Monet's Garden Goes POP! at Selby Gardens

With Donna at Selby Gardens (or is it Giverny???)

Claude Monet and Roy Lichtenstein are not artists you would typically mention in the same sentence. Monet, of course, is the father of Impressionism. His paintings capturing water lilies and cathedrals and sunrises were immensely controversial when he first created them. Art critic Louis Leroy famously criticized Monet's "Impression, Sunrise" as merely an unfinished sketch or an "impression." (Yes, from this intended slight came the name of the impressionism movement.) Leroy continued by saying, "Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more finished!" (To read Leroy's now hilarious review of the entire exhibit, click here.) Monet clearly had the last laugh. 

From Selby's homage to Lichtenstein

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein's work was also criticized in art circles when he came on the scene. What respectable artist would be inspired by Bazooka gum wrappers? And what about his lack of originality? Not only did he recreate images from advertising and the like, but his self-proclaimed selection standard was that the original image be "public, clear and popularized." 

Consistent with this philosophy, Lichtenstein's oevre contains more than 20 print series. But Lichtenstein went further than merely embracing seriality in his art. Collectors who wanted to own a painting or screen print from a Lichtenstein series were required to purchase at least three works from the series in order to get the one they fancied. GULP! indeed.  

"Haystacks (yellow)" by Roy Lichtenstein (1969)
Screenprint on Fabiano wave

While this is all very interesting, it doesn't bring our friends Claude and Roy together. Surprisingly, Lichtenstein did that himself with his creation of "manufactured Monets." What???!!! Yes, Lichtenstein reproduced works by Monet (as well as Cezanne, Picasso and Mondrian). You might wonder what this says about Lichtenstein's opinion of Monet's work. Does he believe the broad appeal of Monet's beautiful paintings lessens their value in some way? (To the point of Monet's popularity, I suspect I'm not alone in having proudly hung a Monet print in my college dorm room oh so many years ago. I thought myself quite sophisticated. But I digress.) It's a question to ponder another day. 

This is a very roundabout way to the point of this blog: Art lovers have the chance to see some of Lichtenstein's Monet-inspired work in Selby Gardens's exhibit "Roy Lichtenstein: Monet's Garden Goes POP!" The show is both educational and great fun.

"Water Lilies with Japanese Bridge" 
by Roy Lichtenstein (1992)
Screenprint on stainless steel

Dr. Carol Ockman, Selby's Curator-at-Large, worked with the Gardens on the exhibit. In a recent talk, Ockman noted that Lichtenstein's "manufactured Monets" incorporate the Ben-Day dot painting technique the artist created. This style -- adapted from the Ben-Day process first used by 19th century printers and photoengravers -- was perfect for Lichtenstein's industrial art approach. The artist used a large template with cut-out dots to create the effect. And while it might sound simple, Lichtenstein said of his Ben-Day dot laden Haystacks, "It probably takes me ten times as long to do one of the Haystack paintings as it took Monet to do his." 

Lichtenstein's use of stainless steel in other of his works -- like "Water Lilies with Japanese Bridge" -- similarly adds an industrial feel. This screenprint includes swirls on the stainless steel that recall the metal dashboards in cars from the 1920s and '30s. The effect was envisioned by Lichtenstein and developed by printmaker Donald Saff of Saff Tech Arts. It was quite a complicated and labor-intensive process as each swirl had to be individually created. Click here for a better picture of the work in which you can see what the swirling looks like.  

Sometimes you're the windshield....

As always with these exhibits, the homage to the artists extends across the entirety of the Gardens. And so there are some great photo opps as you're strolling the grounds. There's a Giverny-style bridge over a pond with Lichtenstein-esque water lilies. There are free-standing polka dotted haystacks and colorful text-driven art that the koi get to enjoy. There's even a recreation of the facade of Monet's home. Serious fun. 

Roy Lichtenstein: Monet's Garden Goes POP! runs through June 27. For more info, click here. And for a great article about the exhibit -- in Architectural Digest no less -- click here. Kudos, once again, to Selby Gardens for combining art and nature in an exciting and accessible way.