Roy Lichtenstein (1923 - 1997)
Title: 'Une Fenêtre ouverte sur Chicago’ (s.9850) 3/2/26 Dantzig
Medium: Original Etching with Aquatint, 1992, on 250-Gram Arches paper, in 5 colours, black, blue, gray, green and brown; Signed with initials by the artist, in pencil lower right.
Edition: 37/80 - The unbound book edition was 80 and 45 hors commerce in Roman numerals),
Size: 48.1 x 35,3 cms (18 7/8 x 14in) (Sheet size) ; 38 x 28.3 cms (Plate size)
Published by: Les Editions Du Solstice Paris,
Printed by: Atelier Dupont-Visat, l'Inéditeur, Paris
Reference: Mary Lee Corlett: “The prints of Roy Lichtenstein” (Catalogue Raisonne) Number 273
Note: This is from a suit of 10 Etchings with Aquatint being the 5th print in the series.
In 1991, Lichtenstein was approached to provide illustrations for a French edition of Allen Ginsberg's “The New Fall of America”. Ginsberg selected 11 poems to be translated into French and Lichtenstein created 10 collages inspired by them, from which etchings were printed for the book. The imagery is characteristic of Lichtenstein's work in popular illustrations.
The piece Illustrates Ginsberg’s poem “Northwest Passage”, which details the harrowing consequences of local pollution and industrial reach. To this day, the Northwest Passage represents centuries of effort to find a route westward from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. Ginsberg’s poem calls to attention the inherent financial and materialistic passage that this endeavour imposed across the North American continent. It is the only black and white work in the series, compiled out of broken black lines set against an off-white background. Lichtenstein’s Passage Du Nord-Ouest appropriates the long standing tradition of saint portraiture, presenting a minimalistic depiction of Ginsberg as a divine spiritual leader.
Public Collections: Philadelphia Museum of Art. National Gallery of Art - Landover, MD 20785
