Sunshine Through the Clouds, 1985: Print by Roy Lichtenstein from Landscapes series

  • Sunshine Through the Clouds, 1985 is a lithograph, woodcut and screenprint on Arches 88 paper
    Sunshine Through the Clouds, 1985
    Lithograph, woodcut, and screenprint on Arches 88 paper, Sheets: 141 x 101.6 cm
    Edition of 60; plus 11 AP, 1 RTP, 1 PPII, 3 GEL, 1 C, 5 SP
    ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
    BACK TO: LANDSCAPE SERIES
     
    Sunshine Through the Clouds, 1985, is a print by Roy Lichtenstein from his Landscapes series that interprets a dramatic sky through abstract brushstrokes and graphic patterns. At the top of the composition, a pale yellow form suggests sunlight breaking through clouds, surrounded by light blue, grey and darker blue tones. From this bright centre, long sweeping strokes of yellow, grey, brown and red radiate downward, evoking rays of sunlight moving through the atmosphere.
     
    Beneath these strokes, the background is structured with striped blue and black patterns that contrast with the more expressive marks above. The lower section of the composition is grounded with heavier blocks of grey and blue, suggesting distant land or cloud formations. Produced using lithograph, woodcut and screenprint on Arches 88 paper, the work reflects Lichtenstein’s ability to merge expressive gesture with controlled printmaking techniques.

  • "Outside is the world; it's there. Pop Art looks out into the world."

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    Although Roy Lichtenstein is best known for his Pop Art drawn from comic books and advertising, he frequently returned to traditional artistic subjects such as landscape. In series like Landscapes, Lichtenstein explored familiar themes of sky, horizon and natural scenery, but reinterpreted them through his distinctive visual language of stylised brushstrokes, bold colour and graphic pattern. By applying Pop Art techniques to a long-established genre, he connected contemporary visual culture with the historical traditions of painting, showing that even the most classical subjects could be reimagined through modern forms and printmaking.