An artist turns up the volume, in part by dialoguing with contemporaries
by Gilda Rogers • Photos By Janette Beckman
The fascinating world of silkscreen art, in which colors and art-intensive therapy meet and with an intellectual dialogue all its own, is where visual artist Gary Lichtenstein has thrived for more than 40 years. Nowadays, Lichtenstein, who started his creative sojourn in the early ’70s in San Francisco, works out of the 10, 000-squarefoot Gary Lichtenstein Editions studio inside Mana Contemporary in Jersey City—an industrial artist’s haven. He has collaborated with creative visionaries like Gary Panter, Roz Chast, Robert Cottingham, and Jessica Stockholder, along with legendary rock and roll poster artist Bob Fried. His work with architect and Newark native Richard Meier, 81, is testament to the language spoken between creators that frees someone like Meier to explore other genres.
“Most artists live in a world in their own studio, so with collaboration, there’s a lot of discussion,” or what Lichtenstein also refers to as “visual dialogue,” an important aspect of the creative process. “The older artists are the backbone of other artists.”
Today, Lichtenstein is often sought out like a West African griot, a village figure who served as historian, storyteller, poet and musician, often mentoring young people in the process.
“I am to an artist or painter what a recording studio is to a musician,” Lichtenstein explained. “The artist comes in with an idea and it is where we create one-of-a-kind work.”
An upcoming exhibit is “Pulling Through: Reflections of America,” by Cey Adams, on view now through December 1 at Gary Lichtenstein Editions. Adams is a visual artist and was the creative director for hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons’s Def Jam Records. He has also been commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. to create work for its new African American Museum, which is scheduled to open on September 24.
So what is silkscreen art?
Simply put, if you’ve ever worn a tee shirt with some type of design or logo embossed on it, that’s silkscreen. What Lichtenstein creates, however, is light years beyond such wearables. His mix of colors and layering of screens (in some cases up to 30 layers) can take shape and form as wall decor.
The evolution of screen-printing was popularized by artists of the ’60s and ’70s. It allowed a mind like Andy Warhol to produce prints of his work, making it more affordable and accessible to enthusiasts and collectors. Artists were also then able to create and sign a number of limited-edition prints, which gave work cachet while exposing it to a larger audience. According to Lichtenstein, prints quickly became a valuable part of the culture.
“Color is a language,” he said, “and I use the process of silkscreen to express it.”
Living in the digital age has had its challenges, however.
“Digital printing was almost going to make silkscreen a dinosaur,” or so Lichtenstein thought. He then paused to contemplate how his art has survived, before letting go of a chuckle. “I laugh because [the process] really has become retro. There’s a big difference between digital technology and the reemergence of that kind of pop art.” The result, however, is enduring work that has been shown at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Art Institute, and Chicago Art Institute, along with international solo exhibitions.
Lichtenstein describes his studio not as traditional gallery, but rather a working environment for artists to create while exposing others to his favored process—of which the silkscreen print press, drying racks, and a wall of colorfully stained paint buckets are parts. The output, he explained simply, is “the art of being.”
Gary Lichtenstein Editions
888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City / 201.604.2702 / gleatmana.com