Museum Ludwig
While in Cologne, I discovered two art museums in close proximity to each other and with limited time, these were the obvious ones to visit. The first of these was the Museum Ludwig, which was perfect given my love of modern art and the collection it houses. The second was the Wallraf, which is close by and in easy walking distance.
The Ludwig is situated next to Cologne Cathedral so it’s in an ideal location. I managed to take in some familiar artists and was pleasantly surprised by a couple of new ones I hadn’t previously come across.
For me the star of the show and what I came to see was M-Maybe (A Girl’s Picture) 1965 by Roy Lichtenstein. This is Pop Art at its finest. With dimensions of 152.4 x 152.4 cm (60 x 60 1/8 inches), it’s a real moment when you stand in front of it. However, when I arrived, there was an art class taking up the whole space where the painting was hung. It was good to see them all drawing their own interpretation of the work, but I had travelled a fair distance and was on a tight schedule. Fortunately, they finished up shortly afterwards so I managed to take up prime position in front of the painting. In fact, I was the only one left in that area of the gallery and thoroughly enjoyed the moment.
It’s one frame of a cartoon, a single moment, brightly coloured. There is a thought bubble, detailing what the woman in the picture is thinking, “M-maybe he became ill and couldn’t leave the studio!” If you look closely, a good proportion of the painting consists of individual dots. This is a technique known as halftoning and was used in newspaper photographs as traditional printing presses needed to handle the varying tones and shades. These days this effect is produced digitally, using software. Lichtenstein produced such images on a large scale, and I’ve been a fan for years. I have a couple of books dedicated to individual artists, purchased when I was younger. One on Van Gogh, one on Dali and a third on Lichtenstein. This made my day. As a side note, after writing the above, I checked back and confirmed that I also have a book on Surrealist Drawings, a book on Impressionists and another on Surrealists, all purchased around the same time.
Staying with Lichtenstein, as a bonus there was Large Jewels (1963) also on display along with a set of three paintings side by side called Rouen Cathedral (Seen at Three Different Times of the Day) Set No. 2 (1969). These are not in the style he became famous for but do provide another aspect of his work.
As noted in Part 172 of this blog series, I like to view the original painting whenever the opportunity arises. So again, if interested, and for keeping my own record, I have listed those paintings I particularly enjoyed. I recommend searching for them online to see for yourself.
Pablo Picasso Le baiser (1969) The Kiss. Le dejeuner sur l’herbe (1961) Lunch on the grass. La femme a l’artichaut (1941) Woman with an Artichoke. Tete de femme lisant (1953) Head of a Woman Reading. Marc Chagall, Gelbes Haus (1924) Yellow House.
I was very excited to see more work by Andy Warhol. Campbell’s Boxes (1964) and White Brillo Boxes (1964) were on display. Along with these is his, 129 Die in Jet (Plane Crash) (1962). Red (Pink) Race Riot (1963). Do It Yourself (Landscape) 1962. This painting is unfinished with numbered sections still to colour in.
Another bonus view for me was seeing Star Thief (1980) by James Rosenquist. This large-scale oil on canvas painting measures 204 by 552 inches (518.2 by 1402.1 cm).
Allan D’Arcangelo Road Series No. 13 (1965). I hadn’t come across his work before. Loved this. A narrow blue strip along the top, the bulk of the painting in green, with a dotted red line consisting of square just above the centre point. A black strip along the bottom with three white sections pointing into the distance.
Also of note I viewed Robert Indiana USA 666 II (Eat, Die, Err, Hug) (1966-67). David Hockney Sunbather (1966). Howard Kanovitz Journal (1972-73) which is a lithograph on wove paper.
The Fiction Factory 