#FridayFeature Roy Lichtenstein, The Couple, from the Expressionist Woodcut series, 1980 — Lichtenstein's interest in the German Expressionist theme was inspired in part by his visit in 1978 to the Robert Gore Rifkind Collection of German Expressionist graphic art in Los Angeles, where, in addition to studying the prints, he had a lengthy conversation with the collector about printmaking. Lichtenstein began exploring the vocabulary of German Expressionism in painting in 1979. Lichtenstein used dots sparingly in these compositions, because their effect is not expressionist. Work on the print series began during the winter of 1980. It was Gemini G.E.L.'s first major woodcut project. Lichtenstein remarked, "I want a mechanical image in my prints. But after a while, I was able to achieve that technical quality too easily. Woodcuts resist that. I like the way you have to fight against the bock to get the image you want...It's a real feat to see if you can make a woodcut without getting a woodcut quality.” - Mary Lee Corlett, The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1948-1997, 'Expressionist Woodcut Series', Hudson Hills Press, New York, 2002, page 163 — Artwork information: Roy Lichtenstein, The Couple, from the Expressionist Woodcut series, 1980, woodcut with embossing, 40 1/8 x 36 inches, edition of 50, signed and numbered — #lichtenstein #roylichtenstein #woodcut #expressionist #germanexpressionist #gemini #geminigel #thecouple #couple (at Leslie Sacks Gallery)