Behold the Mural with Blue Brushstroke a vibrant testament to Roy Lichtenstein’s genius. This monumental mural resides in the atrium of 787 Seventh Avenue in New York City. Originally called the Equitable Tower, it is now the AXA Center. Roy Lichtenstein: Mural With Blue Brushstroke, a book, celebrates this artwork.
Roy Lichtenstein received the commission for this large public work in 1984. He promptly began the design work that fall. The Mural with Blue Brushstroke echoes Roy Lichtenstein’s earlier Artist’s Studio series. It playfully reworks his pieces and those of other artists.
Remember the door, the mirror fragment, and the entablature from Artist’s Studio Look Mickey? They reappear here. The beach ball from Girl with Ball now finds itself tossed by Léger-like figures. The ball’s top half transforms into a sunrise over a landscape dotted with random spots. A light blue “brushstroke” mimics a cascading waterfall. The combination of images creates a delightful pastiche.
Roy Lichtenstein employed his standard large canvas easel for this project. He meticulously selected motifs and crafted a series of drawings. These drawings were then collaged into a maquette measuring 34.25 by 17.5 inches. This maquette served as the blueprint for the actual Roy Lichtenstein Mural.
Images were carefully chosen. Slides of the collage were projected onto the building wall. Roy Lichtenstein and his assistants traced the mural’s outlines. David Lichtenstein, Robert McKeever, Arch O’Learhy, Brian O’Leary, James di Pasquale, and Fernando Pomalaza helped to fill in the outlines with color on the plaster wall. The entire process spanned six weeks. The Roy Lichtenstein Mural boasts 18 colors. This is more than triple his usual palette of primary colors plus black and white.
Roy Lichtenstein usually liked rectangular canvases. He saw non-rectangular canvases as imperfect. Mural with Blue Brushstroke breaks from this preference. It includes a carpenter’s triangle and French curve. The mural extends beyond its frame making it an extreme imperfection.
When the Roy Lichtenstein Mural was unveiled it was celebrated. Michael Brenson of The New York Times hailed it as a major artistic event. He also noted the commitment to art by a prominent American corporation.
The blue brushstroke structurally anchors the complex composition. It is a cacophony of images. It is a montage of Roy Lichtenstein’s earlier subjects. The Roy Lichtenstein Mural embodies commercialism. Yet it is shrouded in the aura of artistic fame.
The Roy Lichtenstein Mural presents a hedonistic view of earthly insignificance. It invites us to revel in its playful combination of images and colors. It’s a testament to Roy Lichtenstein’s innovative approach.