Mirrors 6, 1972: Print by Roy Lichtenstein

  • Roy Lichtenstein Mirror #6 (1972), oval abstract print with black, red, and Ben-Day dot sections suggesting a reflective surface.
    Mirror #6, 1972
    Lithograph and screenprint on Special Arjomari paper, sheet: 103.2 x 75.7 cm
    Edition of 80; plus 9 AP, 1 RTP, 1 PPII, 3 GEL, 1 C
    ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
     
    BACK TO: MIRROR SERIES

     

    Mirror #6, 1972, continues Roy Lichtenstein’s exploration of reflection through a vertically oriented, oval composition that evokes the form of a traditional standing mirror. The surface is divided into bold, contrasting sections: a deep black field, a sweeping red band, and a halftone area of Ben-Day dots. These elements suggest shifts in light and curvature, creating the illusion of a reflective surface without depicting any actual reflected image. The composition feels dynamic, with the curved divisions guiding the viewer’s eye across the form, reinforcing the sense of a distorted, reflective plane.
     
    In this work, Lichtenstein refines his approach to abstraction, using minimal means to communicate a complex visual idea. The combination of lithograph and screenprint produces a smooth, mechanical finish, while the crisp edges and controlled colour palette emphasise the artificiality of the image. By reducing reflection to a set of stylised graphic cues, Lichtenstein challenges the viewer to recognise the object through convention rather than representation. Mirror #6  operates as both an image and a concept, encapsulating his broader interest in perception, reproduction, and the visual language of modern printmaking.

  • "Pop Art is the use of commercial art as a subject matter in painting, I suppose."

     

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    Lichtenstein’s Mirror series invites the viewer to engage with the act of looking itself, turning the familiar experience of gazing into a mirror into a conceptual exercise. Rather than offering a reflection to observe, the works prompt us to search for one, highlighting how conditioned we are to expect an image in a reflective surface. This absence becomes the focus, shifting attention from what is seen to how we interpret visual cues.