#11 - Must Be True

[gintriag]

Hi guys,

It is difficult for me to create a relation between answer choice E and the spirit of Lichtenstein's work. In my opinion, the spirit of Lichtenstein's work is based on cartoonish methods specifically creating parodies that reflect realism regarding contemporary life. The first part of choice E is quite congruent with Liechtenstein's work "Depicting products as they appear in magazine advertisements". That is realism and regarding contemporary life. But I can not find the second part of choice E " to comment on society's values" supported in the passage.

Thanks for your help.

[David Boyle]

Hi guys,

It is difficult for me to create a relation between answer choice E and the spirit of Lichtenstein's work. In my opinion, the spirit of Lichtenstein's work is based on cartoonish methods specifically creating parodies that reflect realism regarding contemporary life. The first part of choice E is quite congruent with Liechtenstein's work "Depicting products as they appear in magazine advertisements". That is realism and regarding contemporary life. But I can not find the second part of choice E " to comment on society's values" supported in the passage.

Thanks for your help.

Hello gintriag,

Here are some useful passage fragments to support answer E: "Beneath its cartoonish methods, his work displayed an impulse toward realism, an urge to say that what was missing from contemporary painting was the depiction of contemporary life...deliberate naivete, intended as a response to the excess of sophistication he observed...faith in reconciliation".

Hope this helps,
David

[gintriag]

Ok, I think I got it. It was his reaction to the excess of sophistication that addressed him to depict simple products of magazine's advertisements. But just to be clear, this "that what was missing from contemporary painting was the depiction of contemporary life" supports this "to comment on society's values"?

Thanks,

[Kristina Moen]

Hi gintriag,

You are correct.

Take a look at L32: "But if rebellion against previous art by means of the careful imitation of a popular genre were all that characterized Lichtenstein's work, it would possess only the reflective power that parodies have in relation (35) to their subjects." In contrast, "[his] work displayed an impulse toward realism, an urge to say that what was missing from contemporary painting was the depiction of contemporary life." (L35).

Lichtenstein's work is more than a rebellion against previous art forms or a parody. It had something to say.

[lilmissunshine]

Hello,

I wanted to ask why (C) is inferior? In line 26-39: "Pop art paintings were full of simple black lines and large areas of primary color. Lichtenstein's work was part of a general rebellion against the fading emotional power of abstract expressionism, rather than an aloof attempt to ignore it." I thought "inner turmoil" matched with Lichtenstein's emphasis on emotional expression while "bold lines and primary colors" were characteristics of pop art. Are "bold lines" and "simple black lines" contradictory?

Could you explain it for me? Thanks a lot!

[Adam Tyson]

I have two problems with answer C, lilmiss, and you've hit on one of them: I think "simple black lines" are not the same as "bold lines", and might even be contradictory as you suggest. Good work there!

My second problem is that I don't see any indication that Lichtenstein was depicting any "inner turmoil". Instead, the emotions our author tells us about in his paintings are sweet and nostalgic and deliberately naive.

David has captured the text that best supports answer E here, I think, and I would reiterate that as my argument for why E is the best answer of the bunch.

[sari.lerner16]

Could you explain why A would be wrong. It covers the realism. Is it that it was realistic techniques and not cartoonish techniques?

[Brook Miscoski]

Sari,

Early in the passage, the author describes L's work as "comic book," "highly stylized," with "word balloons." It is also referred to as "cartoonish," as you note. In the middle (and beginning) of the passage, it is referred to as having some element of "parody." Those are the opposite of "realism," so (A) cannot be correct. Additionally, the passage's description of his work as "highly stylized" means that (A)'s reference to "simple objects" cannot be correct.

[gfeen]

Sari,

Early in the passage, the author describes L's work as "comic book," "highly stylized," with "word balloons." It is also referred to as "cartoonish," as you note. In the middle (and beginning) of the passage, it is referred to as having some element of "parody." Those are the opposite of "realism," so (A) cannot be correct. Additionally, the passage's description of his work as "highly stylized" means that (A)'s reference to "simple objects" cannot be correct.

I am still somewhat struggling as to why A would not work. In the passage it notes on line 36 that his work "displayed an impulse towards realism" and on line 40 that he depicted "stylized automobiles, hot dogs, and table lamps." Wouldn't realistic techniques be able to be referring to the techniques of realism and, though he depicted them as stylized, the simple objects on table be similar to the hot dogs and table lamps?

[Adam Tyson]

Answer A is describing straightforward realism, gfeen. Not stylized, not cartoonish, not an "impulse toward realism", but actual realism. I'm not an art guy, but I believe A is describing what is known as a "still life" painting. That's not at all what Lichtenstein was doing! His work is stylized, cartoonish, like a comic book, and it captures something naive and nostalgic. It's not just that Lichtenstein did something akin to realism, or some version of realism. The question asks not about the outward appearance of the paintings, but about the spirit of his work. Answer A gives us no indication of that spirit. The description in Answer A, as written, is soulless and devoid of any spirit.

At least with answer E we are a step removed from realism - if the objects are depicted as they appear in magazines, then they are at least somewhat stylized, their best features highlighted, posed in some attractive way perhaps. And the part about commenting on society's values? That's captured in lines 38-43:

The stilted romances and war stories portrayed in the comic books on which he based his canvases, the stylized automobiles, hot dogs, and table lamps that appeared in his pictures were reflections of the culture Lichtenstein inhabited.

(emphasis added)