Yellow and Green Brushstrokes 1966

Roy Lichtenstein's "Yellow and Green Brushstrokes" presents a bold statement through its stark, simplified forms. The painting features two broad, horizontal brushstrokes, one yellow and one green, outlined in black against a pale blue background of Ben-Day dots. The colour palette is simple, bold, and evocative of industrial printing. Lichtenstein challenges the traditional Abstract Expressionist notion of the loaded brushstroke by reinterpreting it through the lens of Pop Art. The Ben-Day dots create a sense of uniformity and mechanization that destabilizes the established meanings of Abstract Expressionism, where brushstrokes were considered individual, expressive gestures. Lichtenstein transforms the spontaneous gesture into a calculated, mass-producible image. The composition functions as a commentary on the nature of representation itself. By isolating and enlarging the brushstroke, he forces us to reconsider its significance and challenges fixed meanings associated with artistic expression. The artwork serves as a site for ongoing interpretation, inviting us to reconsider the relationship between art, reproduction, and meaning.