Seven Apple Woodcut Series: 1983 by Roy Lichtenstein

In 1980, Roy Lichtenstein began developing a group of Brushstroke Still Life paintings featuring apples, extending his exploration of the brushstroke motif into still life imagery. Works such as Red Apple and Yellow Apple reflect this shift, combining the gestural language of the Brushstrokes series with the structured format of traditional still life. The imagery attracted critical attention, reinforcing the apple motif as a distinct strand within Lichtenstein’s early 1980s practice.

In 1982, Lichtenstein translated this theme into a series of woodcut prints for Petersburg Press, produced using traditional Japanese water-based printing techniques. Colour was brushed directly onto the blocks and printed by hand onto Japanese paper, without the use of a press, resulting in works the artist described as “quiet and elegant.” The collaged designs were photographically transferred and then hand-cut by Lichtenstein, with edition printing carried out in collaboration with specialist printers in the United States and Japan. These Roy Lichtenstein apple woodcuts represent a technically refined chapter within his printmaking career and remain distinctive within his broader editions market.