Blue Face, 1989: Print by Roy Lichtenstein from his Brushstroke Figure series

  • Blue Face, 1989 is a print on paper by Roy Lichtenstein

    Blue Face, 1989

    Lithograph, waxtype, woodcut and screenprint on 638-g/m² cold-pressed Saunders Waterford paper, 137.2 x 85.1 cm (irregular)

    Edition of 60; plus 1 BAT, 2 PP, 2 Presentation Proofs, 1 NGA archive proof, 1 Graphicstudio Proof, 1 USFP, 2 SP, 8 AP

    ©The Esate of Roy Lichtenstein

    BACK TO: BRUSHTROKE FIGURE SERIES
     
    Roy Lichtenstein’s Blue Face, 1989, is a dynamic work from the Brushstroke Figures series, where the human form is constructed entirely from expressive painterly marks. The figure’s face is rendered in blue Ben-Day dots, contrasted by mismatched green and blue eyes and a vivid orange smile. Red brushstrokes suggest flowing hair, while the body is composed of bold gestural strokes that appear to dance across the composition. A lifted brushstroke arm adds movement, while a flat grey stroke forms the legs, all set against a calm beige background that emphasises the figure’s vibrant colour.
     
    Executed in lithograph, waxtype, woodcut and screenprint on heavy Saunders Waterford paper, the print demonstrates the technical complexity of Lichtenstein’s late printmaking. Published by Waddington Graphics, London, and Graphicstudio at the University of South Florida, and issued in a limited edition of 60 with additional proofs, Blue Face reflects Lichtenstein’s exploration of the brushstroke as both subject and structure within his Pop Art practice.

  • "Pop Art looks out into the world."

     

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    In his Brushstroke Figures prints, Roy Lichtenstein explored how the expressive texture of paint could be translated into a printed medium. Through the combination of lithography, woodcut, screenprint and waxtype, he recreated the look of thick, gestural brushstrokes while maintaining the precision of printmaking. This approach allowed Lichtenstein to simulate painterly movement and texture on paper, transforming the brushstroke into both the structure of the image and the subject itself, while highlighting the contrast between handmade gesture and mechanical reproduction.