In 1961 Lichtenstein embarked on a series of images , taken directly from newspaper clippings and the romance comic books. The anonymity of the mass-produced, cheap comic book helped him to capture specific impressions of real things, while maintaining the necessary degree of aesthetic distance afforded by what he understood to be the "high restrictive quality of art."

"Spray Can" from ONE CENT LIFE PORTFOLIO by Walasse Ting was published by Kornfeld in Switzerland. In Lichtenstein’s notes he wrote: “Spent two weeks, each hour one dot.” Lichtenstein was mimicking the benday dot of reproduction, applying each dot by hand. Full lithographic sheet includes poetry by Walasse Ting, can be matted over. In PRISTINE CONDITION, colors bright. Unsigned early works by Lichtenstein in good condition have become very desirable.

American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) used parody and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor to break away from abstract expressionism and into the up and coming art market of the 1960s. Lichtenstein earned both his BA and MFA in art from Ohio State University, but did not paint in the style for which he is now known until he began teaching at Rutgers University alongside Allan Kaprow in 1960. He first began the technique of using Ben-Day dots, the method of production used in comic books, following the playful encouragement of his young son and continued in the style throughout the remainder of his artistic career. Lichtenstein’s works range in theme and subject, from household objects to advertisements and comic book scenes, but maintain a consistent style of precision and near-photographic reproduction. Lichtenstein’s works have been shown in nearly one hundred and fifty solo exhibitions worldwide, recently including at the Gagosian Gallery, New York, NY (2012); the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY (2011); and Benrimon Contemporary, New York, NY (2010).

Selected Public Collections:
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, NY)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY)
MoMA Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY)
Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY)
The National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC)
The Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL)