Vertical Apple, 1982: Woodcut on paper by Roy Lichtenstein

 

Roy Lichtenstein’s Vertical Apple, 1982, depicts an upright apple rendered through bold brushstroke forms and simplified colour fields. The fruit is outlined in an expressive blue stroke, with a pale yellow section on the left detailed with black linear features that define its contours. In contrast, the right side of the apple is filled with a vivid red brushstroke that remains deliberately unoutlined. A small blue stalk crowns the apple, while a single black line beneath suggests a shadow, anchoring the composition within the picture plane. Behind the fruit, a vibrant yellow brushstroke acts as a backdrop, intensifying the contrast of colour and emphasising the graphic clarity of the image.

 

Vertical Apple belongs to Lichtenstein’s Seven Apple Woodcuts series, produced in 1982. In this body of work, the artist explored the translation of painterly gesture into the carved surfaces of woodcut printing. Executed on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper, the print demonstrates Lichtenstein’s interest in reinterpreting the expressive brushstroke through mechanical and reproductive techniques. By using the traditional medium of woodcut, he simultaneously references historical printmaking while maintaining the bold graphic vocabulary associated with Pop Art. The work was issued in an edition of 60, alongside artist proofs and other variants, and exemplifies Lichtenstein’s continued investigation into the relationship between fine art, mass imagery, and the visual language of painting.