Richard Lichtenstein
Metal, Wood & Ceramic
Richard Lichtenstein’s newest work spans an interest in American Indian graphics, Slavic folklore and his own free play of creative and sometimes erotic imagination.
Lichtenstein was born in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1940. After the war, his parents returned to Poland, where he studied puppetry at the High School of Art and Design in Warsaw. Later, he studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art & Design in Jerusalem, and then the School of Visual Arts, in NYC. Lichtenstein had a career as art director at Avon, but worked at becoming a proficient painter, jeweler, sculptor and blacksmith, during his spare time. He has been influenced by such masters as Antoni Gaudi, Frances Bacon, and Julio Gonzalez. His work has been shown in galleries and museums throughout the country. Lichtenstein now works full time on his art in his studio in Pennsylvania.
Artist Statement
“I incorporate the interactions of animals and humans in my art, using mythology, history and dreams as subject matter, sometimes combining them. There are periods of time where I concentrate working in one medium--my most recent is a series of mythical ceramic sculptures. Before I start a new sculpture, several drawings in ink or watercolor are developed to decide the final composition, theme, and design, whether working in clay, wood, or metal. I have studied and always been fascinated by horses since caring for them in New Hampshire. I’m equally interested in birds and reptiles. My exotic art of animals and humans is based on mythology and Slavic folk lore, many of which were subjects for puppet shows in Poland, where puppetry is taken very seriously. I believe my work ranges far beyond the ordinary in my effort to capture the essence of a being, whether it is literal or imaginary.”
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