Inspiration from Artists Week 44 : Iosif Derecichel and Roy Lichtenstein.

A few more ..

The colors reflected in the water in this painting form the Romanian flag. I wonder if this was done intentionally. I can't say I'm very fond of this semi-abstract impressionism (or whatever it's called), but I'm glad that you guys enjoy his works.

I think it is a superb piece of artistry ,his work shows a sensitivity and observation usually achieved  with the  spontaneity  used when doing  en plein  air. 

What he achieves with such an economy of visible strokes in the tree/pond picture is superb. This is a painting that can be appreciated as much close up for the interest of the marks, as at a distance. On closer inspection new things keep popping out. I love the building/wall at the back of the picture, the pinks/mauves of the snow and the yellow branches. Not all of his paintings work for me, but this is one that would take pride of place if I owned it.

Glorious use of color.  Much needed as we approach the shortest day. I'd happily hang any one of these on my wall.

Scrolling through these paintings has definitely brightened up my day- even the snowy ones. What a riot of colour, but what he achieves with the depth of colours and marks have produced some great paintings.

I fink you should have a Christmas break Dixie....you are a star. 

I suspect he paints with a knife, doesn't he?  The paintings remind me of some of the modern Canadian painters, too - as Andrew noted.  The only one I've seen before is the poppy painting - I like the last one shown, with the fence against the water, which manages to show snow, and yet not be too cold.  

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be amazed, for I will bring to the spotlight, for your entertainment, none other than the brilliant Roy Lichtenstein! The fact that Lichtenstein revolutionized Pop Art is undoubtable. To what degree -- well, there is much disagreement about that. He definitely influenced quite a few artists, among which I would like to mention Jamie Lee and Deborah Azzopardi. Roy Lichtenstein is one of the key figures of the Pop Art movement in America. Born in 1923 in New York to an upper-middle-class Jewish family, he showed an affinity for art from a young age, and later went to Ohio University where he was able to take art classes. Lichtenstein was drafted into the US Army in 1943 and served for three years, before returning to Ohio University to complete his studies and later work as an art instructor. In these early phases of his career, he painted in an abstract style, which was then dominant in America. He incorporated cartoon characters like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse in some of his early works, most of which had been destroyed. In the early 1960s, Lichtenstein fully embraced these themes, making an artistic breakthrough with the painting Look Mickey (1961). Lichtenstein appropriated the scene from popular culture, showing the two Disney icons, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in a humorous situation. This marked the emergence of his signature style, which drew inspiration from mass-produced popular images in comic books and advertisements. Comic books were one of the primary sources for Lichtenstein’s paintings in the early 1960s. He imitated the tradition of comic strips: the thick black lines that outline areas of primary colors and uniform area of Ben-Day dots that were used in the printing process of inexpensive publications. The hand-painted Ben-Day dots became a signature element of Lichtenstein’s style, allowing him to incorporate the look of mechanical reproduction into the traditional medium of painting. The paintings brought Lichtenstein mainstream success, but initially, he also received harsh criticism. He was accused of counterfeiting commercial images and was even called one of the worst artists in America. Even though Lichtenstein turned away from comic book motifs in the mid-1960s, he continued to emulate the aesthetic and style of popular imagery. Lichtenstein began exploring art as the subject matter of his paintings by recreating masterpieces of artists like Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, and Vincent Van Gogh. He reinterpreted these works in his Pop art style, and in paintings like Modern Art I (1996) Lichtenstein reevaluated the legacy of Picasso and the Cubist movement. These paintings had elements of irony and parody, but they were mainly homages. Modern Art I adapted Cubist painting to a contemporary society, dominated by mass-produced commercial images. In his art, Lichtenstein bridged between ‘high’ and ‘low’ art: he combined the style of commercial imagery with the traditional medium of painting. Although Lichtenstein was primarily known as a painter, he worked in other media like sculpture and printmaking. Throughout his career, he received a major commission for artworks in public spaces. Among these is Mural with Blue Brushstroke (1986) in the atrium of the Equitable Tower in New York City and El Cap de Barcelona (1991-1992) created for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. In August 1997, Lichtenstein fell ill with pneumonia and died unexpectedly on September 29, 1997, of complications from the disease. Look, Mickey! Blam! Brushstrokes Drowning girl Woman with flowered hat La cara de Barcelona (sculpture) Tokyo brushstrokes I and II (sculptures)