Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein was one of the leading figures of pop art movement in 1960s, alongside Andy Warhol. It's not difficult to derive where Roy's inspiration for his works came from, which was comic strips. His works are characterised by his ironic sense of humour, precise brushwork and the use of Benday dots technique to create patterns in his paintings. 

One of his more popular works was "Whaam!", which he painted in 1963. It was inspired by a comic book panel from a 1962 issue of DC comic's all American Men of War. The left panel of Whaam! depicts a fighter plane firing a missile, the right panel shows the missile hitting another plane which explodes and burns up in flames. This painting was part of a war series that he worked on between 1962 and 1964, after serving in the United States Army during World War II. Whaam! paints a picture of violence but the violence does not translate directly. Viewers often respond to it with conflicting feelings. The American pilot sends off a missile that blows up an enemy, not giving the other pilot any chance to escape. This might suggest the cruel and inhumane nature of modern killing. But the comic style of the painting portrays somethings less serious, perhaps just a pure celebration of boys' comics.