''Crak!'' (sometimes ''Crack!'') is a 1963 pop art

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein (; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. ...

in his

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

style of using

Ben-Day dots The Ben Day process is a printing and photoengraving technique for producing areas of grey or (with four-colour printing) various colours by using fine patterns of ink on the paper. It was developed in 1879 by illustrator and printer Benjamin ...

and a text balloon. It was used in marketing materials for one of Lichtenstein's early shows. It is one of several of his works related to

military art Military art is art with a military subject matter, regardless of its style or medium. The battle scene is one of the oldest types of art in developed civilizations, as rulers have always been keen to celebrate their victories and intimidate po ...

and monocular vision.

Background

When Lichtenstein had his first solo show at The Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City in February 1962, it sold out before opening. The exhibition included ''

Engagement Ring An engagement ring, also known as a betrothal ring, is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures. A ring is presented as an engagement gift by a partner to their prospective spouse wh ...

'', '' Blam'' and ''The Refrigerator''. The show ran from February 10 through March 3, 1962. After a west coast exhibition at Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles from April 1–27, 1963, Lichtenstein had his second solo exhibition at the

Leo Castelli Leo Castelli (born Leo Krausz; September 4, 1907 – August 21, 1999) was an Italian-American art dealer who originated the contemporary art gallery system. His gallery showcased contemporary art for five decades. Among the movements which ...

Gallery from September 28 – October 24, 1963 that included '' Whaam!'', ''

Drowning Girl ''Drowning Girl'' (also known as ''Secret Hearts'' or ''I Don't Care! I'd Rather Sink'') is a 1963 American painting in oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas by Roy Lichtenstein, based on original art by Tony Abruzzo. The painting is conside ...

'', '' Torpedo...Los!'', '' Baseball Manager'', '' In the Car'', and ''Conversation''. Named for its

onomatopoeic Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...

graphic text, ''Crak!'' is an offset lithograph on lightweight, white wove paper. According to the Lichtenstein Foundation, it was a marketing poster that "was published to announce Lichtenstein's exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery, September 28 ndash;October 24, 1963." The foundation notes that the work is sometimes dated 1964 with numbered impressions that are inscribed reflecting that date. The screen-printed poster image presents a

beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...

-clad woman shooting a rifle. Lichtenstein recomposed the comic book source — from a story written by

Bob Haney Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 25, 2004) was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and the Super-Sons. ...

and illustrated by

Jack Abel Jack Abel (July 15, 1927 – March 6, 1996)
at the

in ''

Star Spangled War Stories ''Star Spangled War Stories'' was the title of a comics anthology published by DC Comics that featured war-themed characters and stories. Among the features published in this series were writer-editor Robert Kanigher and artist Jerry Grandenetti ...

'' #102 (Apr./May 1962) — by replacing the mound of sand with what seems to be a stack of

sandbag A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunkers, shielding gl ...

s. He also isolated the figure by cropping the foreground and background elements. According to art historian Michael Lobel, monocular vision is the motif in which the subject is "depicted frontally in such a way as to expose both eyes to the viewer, yet which has one eye closed or otherwise obscured" and not those in which the subject is depicted in profile. The main subject has one eye opened and one eye closed, which relates to a pervasive theme of monocularity in Lichtenstein's art that Lobel was the first to analyze, which also includes works such as '' Torpedo...Los!'' and '' I Can See the Whole Room...and There's Nobody in It!'' The work also is related to Lichtenstein's theme of "machine and embodied vision" as exhibited in works such as ''

Okay Hot-Shot, Okay! ''Okay Hot-Shot, Okay!'' (sometimes ''Okay Hot-Shot'') is a 1963 pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein that uses his Ben-Day dots style and a text balloon. It is one of several examples of military art that Lichtenstein created between 1962 and ...

'', ''

Bratatat! ''Bratatat!'' is a 1963 pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein in his comic book style of using Ben-Day dots and a text balloon. Background Lichtenstein was a trained United States Army pilot, draftsman and artist as well as a World War II vet ...

'', and '' Jet Pilot''.

Notes

External links

Lichtenstein Foundation website
{{Roy Lichtenstein 1963 paintings 20th-century portraits Military art Paintings by Roy Lichtenstein Portraits by American artists

Background

See also

Notes

External links