Mirror six panels #3 1971

Roy Lichtenstein made this large, six-panel painting, Mirror Six Panels #3, sometime in the late twentieth century. Its hard edges, bold colors, and Ben-Day dots—the printing technique borrowed from mass media—are the artist’s signature. But it is more than an exercise in style. The Mirror series makes a sly commentary on art institutions. From the Renaissance onward, the mirror has been a symbol of art's ability to reflect the world. Lichtenstein empties the mirror of its reflective properties. Are we meant to consider the way that the museum—as an institution—presents a limited, and mediated, view of reality? To understand Lichtenstein’s work, we can consult not only art criticism and theory, but also look at the history of museums and the growth of mass media. These resources help us better understand the cultural contexts of the work. After all, the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional surrounding.