Roy Lichtenstein - Contemporary Art Day London Friday, February 12, 2010 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Acquired directly from the artist; Kenneth Tyler and Tyler Graphics Ltd, New York; Private Collection, New York

  • Exhibited

    New York, James Goodman Gallery Inc, Roy Lichtenstein: Works on Paper, 20 November 2006–15 January 2007

  • Catalogue Essay

    Roy Lichtenstein’s Untitled (Sheets of Studies for Leda & the Swan) shows a fusion of the style of the Art Deco period of the 1920s and 1930s, and the theme of Greek mythology. The drawing has a two-dimensional static quality reminiscent of 1930s art, in which a careful balance is observed in the relationship between verticals, diagonals, curves and straight edges, to achieve a feeling of dynamic movement as well as a frieze-like stillness. The theme of Leda and the Swan, based on the Greek myth of Leda who was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan, gained popularity in the 16th century and was revisited in the 1960s by artists such as Cy Twombly and Hermann Nitsch. Lichtenstein’s drawing of studies shows his ability to understand the subject matter and the organization and division of space to create an energetic composition.

126

Untitled (Sheets of Studies for Leda & the Swan)

c. 1968
Graphite on paper.
48.3 × 89.2 cm (19 × 35 1/8 in).
Signed twice ‘Roy Lichtenstein’ upper and lower centre.

Estimate
£120,000 - 180,000 

Contemporary Art Day

13 Feb 2010
London