Yellow Vase, 1990: Published 1991, by Roy Lichtenstein

  • Yellow Vase, 1990, published 1991, Roy Lichtenstein
    Yellow Vase, 1990, published 1991
    Lithograph, woodcut, and screenprint on 4-ply Paper Technologies, Inc., Museum Board
    Sheet: 141.4 x 214.6 cm
    Edition of 60; plus 14 AP, 1 RTP, 2 PP, 3 GEL, 8 SP, 1 C

    ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

    BACK TO: INTERIOR SERIES
     
    Yellow Vase, 1990, by Roy Lichtenstein is a stylised domestic scene that is imbued with the mass-produced imagery of American advertisements and consumerism, rendered in a graphic visual language. This print features: a white modular sofa with zebra print cushions and a pale yellow horizontally-striped floor. Hanging on the spotted wall on the right is a pastiche of Andy Warhol's iconic hibiscus Flowers in pastel blue and white, an interesting detail that indicates this is an affluent modern art collector's abode.
     
    Yellow Vase derives its title from the narrow vertical strip of yellow atop a coffee table, which holds a flowerless broccoli-like plant. The colour combination of pastel yellow and blue creates a light and airy atmosphere, while the addition of luscious greenery perhaps evokes prosperity and comfort. As with other works from the Interior series, spatial depth is suggested yet continually questioned: perspective lines imply recession into the room, but flat areas of pattern assert the surface of the print. 

  • "My use of evenly repeated dots, diagonal lines, and solid colour areas suggests that it is not a window into the world."

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    Executed as a lithograph, woodcut, and screenprint in colours on 4-ply Paper Technologies, Inc., Museum Board, Yellow Vase demonstrates Lichtenstein’s sophisticated approach to printmaking in his later career. The combination of techniques allows for both crisp, uniform colour fields and subtly textured linear passages. The work was issued in a limited edition of 60, with an additional 14 artist’s proofs, and is hand-signed, dated, and numbered in pencil.