Article: Artist Roy Lichtenstein's humor takes subtle turn

Only recently has humor become a recognized and legitimate ingredient in visual art. Now, though, many artists aim to be funny in their work, and this use of humor in modern art reveals an interesting congruity between the aesthetics of visual art and the aesthetics of humor.

Consider such recent forms as performance, conceptual art and Pop Art. All depend heavily on elements such as the pun, surprise, incongruity and self-parody to make their point, techniques that make comedy work as well.

A prime example of this comedic approach to serious art is Roy Lichtenstein, an artist who became a leader in the Pop Art movement by painting giant comic strip frames in the mid-1960s. These ...

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