I think this sculpture, “Woman With Mirror.” by Roy Lichtenstein is beautiful. I remember first seeing it at the Gagosian Gallery with Marcia Rackow, Aesthetic Realism consultant and teacher of the "Visual Arts and The Opposites class." This sculpture has in it what Eli Siegel describes in, “Is Beauty the Making One of Opposites?”
Heaviness and Lightness:“Is there in all art, and quite clearly in sculpture, the presence of what makes for lightness, release, gaiety?-and is there the presence, too, of what makes for stability, solidity, seriousness?-is the state of mind making for art both heavier and lighter than that which is customary?
This question is true and describes every inch of this sculpture. Lichtenstein flattens out this woman looking in the mirror, not for the purpose of taking away meaning but seeing the intense meaning she has. In doing so he makes this sculpture both heavier and lighter than that which is customary. Matter and space intermingle everywhere. Space is in her, of her, around her and represents nothing less than the whole world. In fact, space has as much weight as matter.
Heaviness and Lightness:“Is there in all art, and quite clearly in sculpture, the presence of what makes for lightness, release, gaiety?-and is there the presence, too, of what makes for stability, solidity, seriousness?-is the state of mind making for art both heavier and lighter than that which is customary?
This question is true and describes every inch of this sculpture. Lichtenstein flattens out this woman looking in the mirror, not for the purpose of taking away meaning but seeing the intense meaning she has. In doing so he makes this sculpture both heavier and lighter than that which is customary. Matter and space intermingle everywhere. Space is in her, of her, around her and represents nothing less than the whole world. In fact, space has as much weight as matter.
Lichtenstein masterfully encompasses the space as an integral part of what makes for the warmth and fullness of flesh, suggestion of body and luminous hair. He shows this woman having mind, looking closely and critically, replete with thought and human feeling.
There is lightness, release, gaiety along with stability, solidity, seriousness in the curved lines of her flowing hair, face, neck, outstretched arm and there is something jaunty in the lopsided mirror she looks into. Maybe, Lichtenstein was critical of a woman’s vanity. She looks into a mirror and sees emptiness, a void. This is the true result of a woman’s vanity. Yet, she looks into the unknown with dignity and courage. Is this sculpture a criticism of woman? Is Lichtenstein trying to give his criticism form? This sculpture cannot be summed up! I got more excited when I saw this!
In the ‘Everlasting Dilemma of a Girl,’ Eli Siegel writes: “Girls have always found it hard to know what they should be liked for. Of course, they have wanted to be liked for how they looked; but suppose they couldn’t feel that how they looked was the same as what they really were? Then there was something missing; and there were incompleteness and pain.”
I know personally when a woman is more interested in having an effect through how she looks she can feel intoxicated. But that tantalizing feeling always makes for a heavy and pervasive emptiness later.
One does not feel this woman’s gaze is narrow or vain for the purpose of having an effect. In fact, it is not she who we are seeing in the mirror at all. She is as mysterious and unknown as the deep dark, void reflected within the mirror. Is that void space or is it matter? It’s both! What we are seeing is the mystery of the world.
Lichtenstein shows that her beauty comes from something deeper, the courage to look and see meaning. I think Lichtenstein is trying to see meaning, too. There is an interplay of heavy and light everywhere through bronze and space. Her unknown thoughts are highlighted by the space, making you think about her. The white triangle behind her eye, while so small, is crucial and stands for something so large. Without that space, the intensity would be gone. That space has energy and shows that the whole world is not only around her but intimately of her. There is deep contemplation, a concentration that is so different from the focus we can have on ourselves at the expense of everything and everyone else. Who is she? What does she see? She cannot be summed up. She is deep and wide and takes in the whole world.
I am grateful for my continued study of Aesthetic Realism; that I feel I have a mind that I increasingly respect. I love Aesthetic Realism as it continues to teach me that I and everyone else are related to the whole world and the only way to feel beautiful is to see beautifully. My life has more weight and substance than I ever thought possible and I am grateful to feel that this paper represents my true self expression.
There is lightness, release, gaiety along with stability, solidity, seriousness in the curved lines of her flowing hair, face, neck, outstretched arm and there is something jaunty in the lopsided mirror she looks into. Maybe, Lichtenstein was critical of a woman’s vanity. She looks into a mirror and sees emptiness, a void. This is the true result of a woman’s vanity. Yet, she looks into the unknown with dignity and courage. Is this sculpture a criticism of woman? Is Lichtenstein trying to give his criticism form? This sculpture cannot be summed up! I got more excited when I saw this!
In the ‘Everlasting Dilemma of a Girl,’ Eli Siegel writes: “Girls have always found it hard to know what they should be liked for. Of course, they have wanted to be liked for how they looked; but suppose they couldn’t feel that how they looked was the same as what they really were? Then there was something missing; and there were incompleteness and pain.”
I know personally when a woman is more interested in having an effect through how she looks she can feel intoxicated. But that tantalizing feeling always makes for a heavy and pervasive emptiness later.
One does not feel this woman’s gaze is narrow or vain for the purpose of having an effect. In fact, it is not she who we are seeing in the mirror at all. She is as mysterious and unknown as the deep dark, void reflected within the mirror. Is that void space or is it matter? It’s both! What we are seeing is the mystery of the world.
Lichtenstein shows that her beauty comes from something deeper, the courage to look and see meaning. I think Lichtenstein is trying to see meaning, too. There is an interplay of heavy and light everywhere through bronze and space. Her unknown thoughts are highlighted by the space, making you think about her. The white triangle behind her eye, while so small, is crucial and stands for something so large. Without that space, the intensity would be gone. That space has energy and shows that the whole world is not only around her but intimately of her. There is deep contemplation, a concentration that is so different from the focus we can have on ourselves at the expense of everything and everyone else. Who is she? What does she see? She cannot be summed up. She is deep and wide and takes in the whole world.
I am grateful for my continued study of Aesthetic Realism; that I feel I have a mind that I increasingly respect. I love Aesthetic Realism as it continues to teach me that I and everyone else are related to the whole world and the only way to feel beautiful is to see beautifully. My life has more weight and substance than I ever thought possible and I am grateful to feel that this paper represents my true self expression.
