Apple and Lemon, 1983

Roy Lichtenstein’s Apple and Lemon (1983) reflects the artist’s sustained engagement with the still-life tradition, reimagined through the unmistakable lens of Pop Art. By stripping the composition down to two simple forms—an apple and a lemon—Lichtenstein highlights his fascination with reduction, clarity, and the visual codes of mass communication. Bold outlines, flat planes of color, and carefully orchestrated simplification transform these everyday objects into graphic icons, demonstrating Lichtenstein’s ability to elevate the ordinary into something visually compelling and conceptually rich. This work embodies his ongoing dialogue with art history, merging the intimacy of traditional still-life painting with the immediacy and stylization of commercial imagery.

Executed as a woodcut on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper, Apple and Lemon stands out within Lichtenstein’s printmaking practice for its craftsmanship and its embrace of Japanese papermaking traditions. The tactile quality of the paper and the precision required by the woodcut technique create a nuanced tension between artisanal process and Pop Art’s characteristically mechanical aesthetic. Signed and numbered from an edition of 60, and measuring 41 3/4 × 31 1/4 inches, the work commands significant presence and is highly desirable among collectors. As both a refined technical achievement and a beautifully distilled example of Lichtenstein’s visual language, Apple and Lemon represents a sophisticated and enduring contribution to his celebrated still-life series.