Imperfect Diptych 46 1/4" x 91 3/8", 1988: Diptych by Roy Lichtenstein from the imperfect series

  • Imperfect Diptych 46 1/4" x 91 3/8", 1988 is a work by Roy Lichtenstein depicting two images made up of geometric shapes

    Imperfect Diptych 46 1/4" x 91 3/8", 1988

    Woodcut, screenprint, and collage on Archivart 4-ply Museum Board, Sheet: 117.4 x 232 cm

    Edition of 45; plus 14 AP, 1 RTP, 1 PPII, 3 GEL, 1 C, 1 SP

    ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

     

    BACK TO: IMPERFECT SERIES
     

    Roy Lichtenstein’s Imperfect Diptych 46 1/4" x 91 3/8" , 1988, is a striking work from the Imperfect series, composed of two geometric panels set against a beige-mink background. Each square contains an arrangement of angular forms filled with contrasting colours and patterns. In the left panel, two large dark blue blocks dominate the composition, accompanied by a small dark green semicircle and additional shapes filled with black Ben-Day dots and central striped sections. The patterns introduce visual rhythm while the bold colours emphasise the structure of the geometric forms.

     

    The right panel continues the interplay between shape and pattern, featuring a protruding triangle that extends onto the surrounding background, deliberately disrupting the symmetry of the diptych. Within this panel, alternating sections of striped lines and Ben-Day dots create texture and contrast across the composition. Executed in woodcut, screenprint and collage on Archivart 4-ply Museum Board and issued in an edition of 45 with additional proofs, the work demonstrates Lichtenstein’s exploration of abstraction, geometry and pattern in his late printmaking practice.

  • "Pop Art looks out into the world. It doesn't look like a painting of something; it looks like the thing itself." 
     
    - Roy Lichtenstein
    Lichtenstein uses the diptych format to introduce a sense of structure and containment within the composition. The two square panels act like controlled fields in which the geometric shapes, colours and patterns are carefully arranged. This framing creates a visual boundary that emphasises order and balance across the work. Against this contained structure, the single triangle that pushes beyond the edge of the right panel becomes particularly striking. By breaking the border of the square, the shape disrupts the otherwise confined composition, creating tension between control and irregularity that is central to the Imperfect series.