BULL HEAD I: Lithograph and linecut print on paper

  • Bull Head I, 1973, lithograph and line cut on paper by Roy Lichtenstein
    Bull Head I, 1973
    Lithograph and linecut on Arjomari paper, sheet: 63.4 x 83.8 cm
    Edition of 100; plus 10 AP, 1 RTP, 1 PPII, 3 GEL, 1 C
    ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
    BACK TO: BULL HEAD SERIES
     
    Bull Head I, 1973, marks the beginning of Roy Lichtenstein’s exploration of the bull motif, presenting the animal in a simplified yet striking form. The bull’s head is constructed from flat white shapes with bold black lines defining the eyes, nose, mouth and horns, reducing the subject to its most essential graphic elements. A vivid yellow background heightens the visual impact of the composition, while a section of blue Ben-Day dots and a small green patch suggestive of a tree introduce the artist’s distinctive Pop Art vocabulary.
     
    This work forms part of Lichtenstein’s wider investigation into the progression of an image from representation to abstraction. Created at Gemini G.E.L. in 1973, the Bull Head series demonstrates how a recognisable subject can gradually be broken down into simplified shapes and graphic forms. In Bull Head I, the image remains largely figurative, setting the stage for the increasingly abstract interpretations that follow in the series.

  • "My work isn't about form. It's about seeing." 

     

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    Ben-Day dots are one of Roy Lichtenstein’s most recognisable visual devices and play a key role in defining his Pop Art style. Originally used in commercial printing and comic books to create shading and variations in colour, the dots allowed inexpensive mass reproduction of images. Lichtenstein deliberately enlarged and stylised this mechanical technique, transforming it into a central artistic element.