Sunrise 1965

Roy Lichtenstein made "Sunrise" using oil and magna on canvas. Lichtenstein's hard-edged style reduces image-making to its basic components. The work appears screen-printed, but it's actually painting that mimics industrial production. Lichtenstein adopted a Ben-Day dot system, seen here in the sky, which simulates the half-tone printing process found in mass media. Though seemingly mechanical, each dot was carefully placed by hand. His process deliberately imitates and elevates commercial printing techniques to fine art, blurring the lines between high and low culture. The color palette is also a tell, it resembles the CMYK color model used in printing. Lichtenstein’s systematic, labor-intensive method and the use of popular imagery challenges traditional notions of artistic originality and authorship. Ultimately, Lichtenstein prompts us to consider how materials, making, and context shape our understanding of art.