Landscapes were the first topic Lichtenstein turned to after his comic inspired Pop prints of the early 1960s. The Landscapes is Lichtenstein’s earliest solo print portfolio, published by Rosa Esman’s Original Editions in collaboration with Leo Castelli Gallery. Drawn to popular and clichéd themes, Lichtenstein transformed the time-honored motif of the landscape into photo-collage Pop Art. The Landscapes are invented imaginary views rather than appropriated illustrations from printed material. Lichtenstein was very involved in the series’ production; he created preliminary drawings and collages, cut screenprint stencils by hand, shot the photographs, and supervised cutting of the plastic Rowlux sheets. The Pop aesthetic and introduction of new materials asks viewers to reconsider the conceptions of landscape painting.

This series challenged art standards by producing traditional landscapes with the commercial printing techniques of flat colors and dots, as though they’re images from mass media. Each landscape is simplified to its basic compositional and pictorial elements. Citing his earlier landscape Sunrise, 1965, thick outlines and groupings of Benday dots render the oceans, sky, horizon, and mountains. Landscape 4’s black outlines represent a rising sun, while Landscape 9’s exaggerated curves and stylized lines suggest light and water. The dotted fields, regularized stripes, and segmented flat areas of color signify the tone and texture of printed material. The limited color schemes allude to the pervasiveness of commercial imagery aimed at mass audiences.

The Landscapes exemplify Lichtenstein’s experimental materials and subject matter. The portfolio referenced his earlier landscapes that incorporated painting, plastic, Plexiglas and metal. These ten landscapes include photographs and exotic surfaces like Rowlux sheets and Mylar. The plastic sheets, discovered by Lichtenstein at a novelty store, create an industrial aesthetic, as well as textural and spatial interplays. Rowlux’s Moiré pattern in Landscape 2 and Landscape 5 is first seen in Seascape, 1964. All are completely abstract screenprints on Rowlux with a horizon line, producing the effect of light on moving water. The illusionistic reflections, a prominent theme seen throughout his oeuvre, explore light and visual perceptions.