Entablature VIII, 1976: Screenprint and collage on paper

  • Roy Lichtenstein Entablature VIII (1976), screenprint and collage with embossing, featuring horizontal bands of beige, yellow and orange with black linear detailing and repeating ornamental motifs
    Entablature VIII, 1976
    Screenprint and collage with embossing on BFK Rives paper, sheet: 74.1 x 114 cm
    Edition of 30; plus 10 AP, 1 CTP, 1 RTP, 1 PPI, 1 A
    ©The Estate for Roy Lichtenstein
     
    BACK TO: ENTABLATURE SERIES
     
    Entablature VIII, 1976, presents a more restrained and balanced composition within Lichtenstein’s Entablature series, defined by broad horizontal bands of neutral tones punctuated by precise linear detail. The central field of beige is framed by thin bands of yellow and orange, creating a subtle hierarchy of colour that guides the viewer’s eye across the composition. Above and below, repeating black ornamental motifs introduce rhythm and structure, echoing classical architectural decoration.
     
    Despite its apparent simplicity, the work is carefully constructed through screenprint, collage and embossing, allowing for slight variations in surface and depth. Lichtenstein’s reduction of architectural detail into clean, repeatable forms emphasises his interest in standardisation and reproduction. By isolating and refining these decorative elements, he transforms them into a contemporary visual language that balances historical reference with modern, industrial precision.

  • "Art doesn't transform. It's just plain forms."

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    The Entablature series, 1974–76, focuses on architectural ornament, drawing from Lichtenstein’s photographs of New York façades. He isolates and restructures these decorative elements into precise, horizontal compositions defined by symmetry and repetition. By translating classical architectural detail into a clean, industrial visual language, the series repositions ornament as both structure and subject within modern abstraction.