Roy Lichtenstein was a mainstream abstract painter in the 1950s. His art was admired and sold modestly well. He was seen as a competent run-of-the-mill artist whose abstract paintings were standard fare. One day, his young son showed him a cartoon of Mickey Mouse in a comic book and said, ‘I bet you can’t paint anything as good as that, Dad.’ Lichtenstein took on the challenge and started making large garish paintings that looked like comic-book cartoons. His friends, critics and art lovers were aghast. It was a complete rejection of conventional abstract art. They accused him of selling out with his cheap and childish images. They said it was trashy commercialism. Lichtenstein realised that, for the first time in his life, his art was provoking a vigorous reaction. He decided that he preferred to be notorious rather than anonymous. He carried on making bigger and bolder pictures. Critics panned his work as vulgar and empty. The title of a Life magazine article in 1964 asked, ‘Is He the Worst Artist in the U.S.?’ But Lichtenstein endured the criticism and went on to become a leading figure in the Pop Art Movement. Eventually, his work became popular. The critics who had savaged his early exhibitions now showered praise on him. He had created a style all his own.
Roy Fox Lichtenstein was born in 1923, in New York City. Growing up in Manhattan, the boy showed a keen interest in science and comic books. He was drafted into the army during the Second World War and served in Europe. After the war, he studied art and, in 1949, he gained a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio State University.
As a leading figure in the Pop Art Movement, alongside Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, he elevated the comic strip into high art. He was influenced heavily by popular advertising and comic books while using parody for his inspiration. He never took himself too seriously nor claimed to be a great artist. In 2015, 18 years after his death, his painting Nurse was sold at auction for $95 million.
It is more important to be different than to be better. It is no good launching a ‘me too’ product that is similar to, or even slightly better than, most other products on the market. Lichtenstein was just another good artist who went unnoticed until he deliberately did something different and radical.
A strong reaction, even a strong negative reaction, is better than no reaction. Do not be afraid of upsetting people. Lichtenstein’s paintings were purposefully controversial. Bland products upset no one, but delight no one, and they get lost in the welter of goods on offer. If your contentious new offering is popular with a small segment of the market, then you can focus on pleasing and then growing a loyal fanbase.
Take inspiration from children. It was his child’s comments that led Lichtenstein to change his style. A child’s view of the world is uncomplicated and direct. It can help focus your thinking in a fundamental way.