Cathedral #6 State II, 1969: LITHOGRAPH ON PAPER

  • Cathedral #6, State II, 1969, Roy Lichtenstein
    Cathedral #6, State II, 1969
    Lithograph on Special Arjomari paper, sheet: 123.5 x 82.5 cm
    Edition of 13; plus 1 RTP
    ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
     
    BACK TO: CATHEDRAL AND HAYSTACK SERIES 
     
    Roy Lichtenstein’s Cathedral #6, State II (1969) represents a further stage in the artist’s systematic reduction of the cathedral motif derived from Rouen Cathedral series. Executed as a lithograph on Special Arjomari paper, the composition shifts to a striking red and black palette, intensifying the visual density of the Ben-Day dot structure. The cathedral remains visible but increasingly unstable, as the darker dot formations begin to dominate the surface, pushing the image closer to abstraction while still retaining a recognisable architectural core.
     
    As a proof state, this work offers a critical insight into Lichtenstein’s process, sitting between the more legible State I and the near-monochromatic final version of Cathedral #6. The heightened contrast creates a more immediate optical impact, yet the image continues to dissolve under close viewing, reinforcing the tension between clarity and reproduction. Published by Gemini G.E.L. in a highly limited edition, Cathedral #6, State II captures the moment where representation begins to give way to pure pattern, making it a key transitional work within the series.

  • "In America the biggest is the best." 

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    Ben-Day dots are a core element of Roy Lichtenstein’s practice, taken from commercial printing processes used in comic books and mass media. Originally designed to create tonal variation through small, evenly spaced dots, Lichtenstein enlarged and standardised them, turning an invisible mechanical tool into a highly visible artistic device. In works such as the Cathedral series, these dots are not simply decorative but structural, building entire images through shifts in density, scale, and colour.