Nude, 1989: Print by Roy Lichtenstein from his Brushtroke Figure series

  • Nude, 1989 is a print depicting a brushtroke figure in coral colours from Lichtenstein's Brushtroke figure series

    Nude, 1989

    Lithograph, waxtype, woodcut, and screenprint on 638-g/m² cold-pressed Saunders Waterford paper, Sheet: 142.9 x 82.6 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 Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

    BACK TO: BRUSHSTROKE FIGURE SERIES
     
    Roy Lichtenstein’s Nude, 1989, is a print from the Brushstroke Figures series, where the human body is constructed entirely from expressive painterly marks. Set against a striking red and white striped background, the figure is formed from layered brushstrokes that suggest the torso, limbs and head. A central coral brushstroke runs vertically through the composition, while flesh-toned, grey and red strokes define the surrounding form. The head is assembled from smaller gestures of colour, including pink tones for the face, coral highlights at the cheeks, and a red smile. Blue and teal brushstrokes define the eyes, while a dark blue mark anchors the centre of the face and a red Ben-Day dot stroke crowns the head.
     
    Executed in lithograph, waxtype, woodcut and screenprint on heavy Saunders Waterford paper, the print highlights Lichtenstein’s sophisticated late printmaking techniques. Published by Waddington Graphics, London, and Graphicstudio at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Nude was issued in a limited edition of 60 with additional proofs. By combining multiple print processes, Lichtenstein recreates the texture and movement of painted brushstrokes while maintaining the precision and graphic clarity that characterise his Pop Art prints.

  •  “I’m never drawing the object itself; I’m only drawing a depiction of the object – a kind of crystallised symbol of it.”

     

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    Roy Lichtenstein introduces a variety of contrasting patterns, tonal colour shifts and layered brushstrokes. Rather than depicting a traditional academic nude, the figure is constructed from graphic elements including stripes, Ben-Day dots and flat blocks of colour. Flesh tones, coral highlights and cool blues create subtle tonal variation across the face and body, while the red and white striped background adds visual rhythm and depth. By combining these patterns and colour contrasts, Lichtenstein transforms the classical subject of the nude into a distinctly Pop composition that balances abstraction, texture and figuration