Appreciation of Roy Lichtensteins Stepping Out - Essay Example

?Art Appreciation Art is an expansive means of cultural and personal expression that is witnessed in nearly all global societies. While for the artist the creation of art has a variety of implications, including therapeutic purposes, art appreciation is an equally important practice. In this way the appreciation of art carries with it critical thinking skills, cultural appreciation, and in some instances a sense of spirituality. My personal appreciation of art has involved a variety of artists. One of the artists that most frequently appeals to me is Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein created a wide array of work and much of it has gained positions of prominence among art theorists. While Lichtenstein produced an array of work, perhaps his work that most appeals to me is ‘Stepping Out’ (currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art). There are a number of aesthetic reasons I appreciate this work of art. Perhaps the most prominent are because the work combines both cubism and a comic book style. ‘Stepping Out’ implements Lichtenstein’s traditional comic book imagery. In this way the work is recognized as implementing the traditional pop art style (Livingstone, p. 113). The painting, Fig. 1 in the appendix, features two individuals. Seemingly these individuals are a woman and a man, however Lichtenstein uses cubist like forms to obscure easy and clear distinctions. The male figure seems to be identifiable though traditional social conventions of dress; he is wearing a hat, has short-trimmed hair, as well as a suit and tie. Conversely, the woman does not take on complete form; instead her face is depicted not in the traditional form of the human head, but as a canvas. She only has one eye, which is slanted vertically. She has long blonde-hair, red lips, and a yellow dress that seems to further situate her with feminine identification. The division between the man and woman is blurred such that they seem to dissolve into each other; this perspective on singularity is further witnessed through Lichtenstein’s slight use of pointillism on the right side and left side of the woman and man’s faces, respectively. These aesthetic factors combine comic book styles with cubist expression to create new expressive potentials. This way I greatly enjoy these complex and hybrid forms of expression. Another great factor that contributes to my appreciation of the work is its position as a seminal work of Pop Art. Indeed, while the painting was created in the late 1970s one recognizes that it emerges from the 1960’s Pop art aesthetic (Osterwold, p. iv). The work itself is both linked to pervading trends in Pop art – a consideration of style over substance, cartoon-like form – as well as historical art practices – oil on canvas (Tansay, p. 3). Furthermore, it’s noted that Pop art regularly implements images that are removed from their context of origin. Within this specific work both the man as borrowed from the inter-textual elements of Leger’s work, and the woman as clearly and overtly influenced from Picasso’s cubist style demonstrates past images reconditioned into new forms. The comic book form that Lichtenstein implements is also adopted from mass culture, a characteristic element of Pop art (Hapgood, p 21). Additionally, the post-modern notion that displaces the recognition of ‘high’ art as the most privileged art form is reflected directly in Lichtenstein’s ‘Stepping Out’. In these regards, the work implements this comic book ‘mass culture’ form as a means of legitimate social critique. One recognizes the juxtaposition between Lichtenstein’s aesthetic style with cubist and surrealist perspectives; this juxtaposition of form seems to represent a subsequent inclusion of multiple voices of knowledge and understanding. Ultimately, I appreciate this aesthetic technique in the way that explores complex social concerns with a style that has been traditionally associated with simple entertainment. The theme in this work of art is complex. Aesthetic analysis of Lichtenstein’s ‘Stepping Out’ reveals a considerable number of insights. In terms of meaning, interpretations differ widely from different critics. Indeed, the very post-modern elements of the work invite such multiple-critical voices. In terms of objective elements one recognizes that there is a degree of inter-textuality in the work (Rubsin, p. 320). The male in work is based on Fernand Leger’s 1944 painting ‘Three Musicians;’ however Lichtenstein’s version is the mirror image of Leger’s earlier work (MOMA). In terms of the specific meaning this elements form, this essay contends that the primary emphasis is the society’s stereotypes on women. This perspective has been supported by art theorists who note, “this work is a criticism of how a man has often wanted to see a woman as simple, as just a “pretty face”, without too much substance, and how a woman may accommodate herself to this unjust, contemptuous way of seeing her” (Weiner). Specifically, she becomes a stereotype of a blonde haired, red-lipped pretty face. This view is contrasted with the man who is instead pictured in the aforementioned full figured form. Such combinatory effects create a signification that seems to advance the notion of the male as viewing the female only in terms of beauty or outward expressiveness, while the male conversely is viewed in terms of a more whole entity. This theme greatly appeals to me in a variety of ways. While I do not directly relate to the way that the man is viewing the woman, I recognize that this theme is prominent through television and media in the contemporary world. While much art works to merely serve as personal expression, I enjoy this theme as it combines both aesthetic qualities with legitimate social commentary. Specifically, the work is drawing one’s attention to the way that women are objectified as a means of advancing a broader social statement. I personally appreciate the artist’s intentions in this way and wish more art would work to take political stances. This work of art reflects who I am as a person in a number of ways. While I do not relate directly to the feminist message inherent in the work I recognize that the complex way that the work approaches depictions of the self is something I relate to. Just as the work demonstrates varying perspectives on the self through its cubist tendencies I feel that my identity is not a singular concept, but something that is constantly reimagined in different contexts. I also can relate to the way that the work portrays the woman figure. I acutely recognize the way that women are depicted in television and the media. In this way I believe there is a significant division between how men are depicted and the general objectification of women. My life is reflected in this art then as it articulates the way I experience the world. Ultimately life experiences are reflected in the way that I experience art as interpretation of art depends on these experiences. In this way my recognition of the varying depictions of men and women in the media contributed directly to my perspective on ‘Stepping Out’. In conclusion, this essay is a reflective appreciation of Roy Lichtenstein’s ‘Stepping Out’. Within this context of investigation the essay indicated that I appreciate the work’s aesthetic qualities, as it combines both cubism and comic book forms of expression. In terms of thematic elements there are a broad number of elements that appeal to me in the art. In this way I greatly appreciate the way that the work explores themes of gender, identity, feminism, and social commentary. Finally, the essay considers the way the work reflects my personal experiences. Ultimately, these varying element contribute to my overarching appreciation of the work. References Hapgood, Susan, Neo-Dada: Redefining Art. New York: Universe Books, 1994. Livingstone, Marshall., Pop Art: A Continuing History, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990 Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Metropolitan Museum of Art -- Stepping Out." Last modified 2012. Accessed April 27, 2012. http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the- collections/210002332. Osterwold, Tilman. Pop Art. New York: Taschen. 2007. Rubsin, Susan. The Art of Roy Lichtenstein. New York: Abrams Books. 2008. Tansey, Richard., Gardner's Art Through the Ages, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1980. Weiner, Steven. stevenweiner, "Simplicity and Complexity: Roy Lichtenstein's “Stepping Out”." Last modified 2012. Accessed April 27, 2012. http://www.stevenweiner.net/Site/Lichtenstein.html. Appendix Fig. 1 Stepping Out Read More