Roy Lichtenstein's Grand Gestures in Art Reflecting Religion

JEWISH CHRONICLE
By Naftali Brawer

Roy Lichtenstein’s ‘Whaam!’. A retrospective of his work is at the Tate Modern until May 27

UNITED KINGDOM---The Tate Modern's current retrospective of Roy Lichtenstein's pop art includes a series of 1960s paintings called "brushstrokes". Describing his work, the [Jewish] artist said: "Brushstrokes in painting convey a sense of grand gesture but, in my hands, the brushstroke becomes the depiction of a grand gesture." This distinction between the grand gesture and the depiction of the grand gesture brought to mind the work of the 19th-century philosopher of religion and psychologist, William James. In his 1902 book, "Varieties of Religious Experience", James makes a clear distinction between the spontaneous religious experience of the founders of a religion - whom he calls religious geniuses - and that of the "ordinary religious believer" who comes later and "follow[s] the conventional observances".  [link]