''Jet Pilot'' is a 1962
pop art work done in
graphite pencil by
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. Hi ...
. Like many of Lichtenstein's works from this time period, it was inspired by a comic book image, but he made notable modifications of the source in his work.
Background
In the mid-1970s the work was owned by Richard Brown Baker, who had acquired the work in May 1963.
As of 2013 it is owned by the
Yale University Art Gallery, which also hosts the related work ''
Blam''.
Lichtenstein was a trained
United States Army pilot, draftsman and artist as well as a
World War II (WWII) veteran who never saw active combat.
His list of aeronautical themed works is extensive. Within that genre, Lichtenstein has produced several works featuring pilots situated in cockpits during air combat such as ''Jet Pilot'' (1962), ''
Brattata
''Brattata'' is a 1962 pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein in his comic book style of using Ben-Day dots and a text balloon. The work is held in the collection at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. It is one of several Lichtenstein wor ...
'' (1962), ''
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 v ...
'' (1963), and ''
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 ...
'' (1963).
''Jet Pilot'' is one of several drawings that Lichtenstein has done in a
frottage technique, in a time before he routinely used the
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 H ...
for which he is better known.
This work has been on a worldwide tour of Lichtenstein's 1961–68 black-and-white sketches, accompanied by
DC Comics artwork.
The source of ''Jet Pilot'' was ''All American Men of War'' #89 (January–February 1962,
DC Comics).
''Jet Pilot'' is one of several comics-based works, including ''
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 ''Von Karp'', inspired by the
World War II Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...
U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Johnny Cloud of
DC Comics' ''
The Losers''.
The same ''All American Men of War'' issue was the inspiration for several other Lichtenstein paintings, ''Okay Hot-Shot, Okay!'', ''
Brattata
''Brattata'' is a 1962 pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein in his comic book style of using Ben-Day dots and a text balloon. The work is held in the collection at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. It is one of several Lichtenstein wor ...
'', ''
Blam'', ''
Whaam!'' and ''Tex!''
Critical appraisal
Lichtenstein usually simplified from his source material, but in ''Jet Pilot'' the
gun sight is more detailed than in the source.
In Lichtenstein's image the line of enemy bullets follows a different path, thereby reducing the suspense caused in the source as the bullets ruptured the pilot's air hose.
The work also is related to Lichtenstein's theme of "machine and embodied vision" as exhibited in works such as ''
Crak!'', ''Okay Hot-Shot, Okay!'', and ''Bratatat!''.
See also
*
1962 in art
Events from the year 1962 in art.
Events
* February 6–March 4 – Jane Frank, solo exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
* February 7 – Opening of this year's " Young contemporaries" student exhibition at the RBA Gall ...
Sources
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External links
Lichtenstein Foundation website
{{Roy Lichtenstein
1962 works
1962 paintings
20th-century portraits
Military art
Paintings by Roy Lichtenstein
Portraits by American artists
Aviation art