Imperfect (Corlett 222), from Imperfect Series

Roy Lichtenstein created the ‘Imperfect’ series between 1986 and 1988 alongside the renowned Californian printmakers, Gemini G.E.L. The series combines the techniques of woodcut and screenprint, each piece also with areas of metalised Mylar collage elements. It was an ambitious project due to the unusually vast sheets of paper Lichtenstein chose to print on, giving each piece with a commanding presence on a wall. The present work is a geometric abstraction of eccentric shapes, some of which even pierce the boarders of the image’s edges. By incorporating different panels of ben-day dots, block-colours, stripes and metalised surfaces, Lichtenstein creates the illusion of a multifaceted surface. This complex design, coupled with the way the 2D shapes appear to pierce their printed boundaries, cleverly creates a sculptural, 3-D appearance.