I went to see the Lichtenstein retrospective at the Tate Modern the other day, a good sized exhibition, nicely spaced out and not over-crowded. It was nice to wander round the spacious rooms with almost universally big paintings on the wall, the majority in his distinctive style.The paintings (and a few stand-alone works) were from the late-50s to mid-90s so we were given the full range of his works from early abstracts, through his stylised dot cartoons to his later Chinese (dotted) landscapes. We're soon introduced to his most recognisable works with his 'cartoon' panels of romance and war, with his 'Oh Jeff' painting used as the poster for the exhibition. Some of these works have a vibrancy and a humour that make them unique and can be viewed (and, in some cases, read) in different ways.
His 'WHAAM' is a big painting of an anonymous fighter pilot smashing an enemy in the vast sky while 'Why, Brad darling' is almost claustrophobic. Brad is named in a couple of paintings (including one in which his girlfriend is drowning). He doesn't look particularly happy in this painting (with a different girlfriend).
Some of his later 'cartoons' left me a bit cold. The penultimate room had a series of paintings of nudes that didn't work for me, they felt lifeless and a bit pointless. Maybe he'd taken this form as far as he could?
Some of his non-'cartoon' paintings on display were far more enjoyable, his versions of Picasso and Matisse paintings, his art deco paintings and some very strange landscapes, including the Chinese landscapes in the final room.
It's well worth going to see this exhibition and see how his work evolved and changed at different periods. It's fun as well as art. Luckily, there weren't too many people using the audio-guide things so it was easy to wander around without people congregating in front of particular paintings and just standing there. The main irritant for the me was the redundant comma in the phrase, "Oh Jeff, I love you, too... but...". Still, can't have it all!
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