Reflections on Minerva, 1990: Print by Roy Lichtenstein from his Reflections series

Roy Lichtenstein’s Reflections on Minerva, 1990, reinterprets the Roman goddess within the visual language of Pop Art and the late Reflections series. Positioned to the right of the composition, Minerva is rendered in red Ben-Day dots against a white ground, her startled expression defined by raised brows and sharply contoured black outlines. Her dark blue hair is crowned, accented with a red detail, while a hand enters from the right gripping her hair, the arm marked by a silver cuff. Above her, a speech bubble bearing her name reinforces the comic-strip aesthetic that underpins much of Lichtenstein’s practice.

To the left, elongated fields of black Ben-Day dots on a yellow background are partially obscured by a grey reflective band, simulating glare across the surface. Executed in lithograph, screenprint and relief with metalised PVC collage and embossing on mould-made Somerset paper, the print measures 106.7 x 131.4 cm overall and was issued in an edition of 68 with artist’s proofs. The interplay between classical subject matter, comic-book styling and reflective distortion exemplifies Lichtenstein’s late exploration of image, reproduction and layered surface.