Finger Pointing

Accession Number
1976/2.118

Title
Finger Pointing

Artist(s)
Roy Lichtenstein

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1973

Medium & Support
screenprint on wove paper

Dimensions
12 in x 9 in (30.5 cm x 22.9 cm);22 1/8 in x 18 1/8 in (56.2 cm x 46.04 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Robert Rauschenberg

Subject matter
This work was part of a portfolio of 30 works, created as a fund-raising effort for the project Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). The project was partially-funded by the director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm at the time. For his contribution, Lichtenstein employed his method of pop appropriation, coupled with the dot-matrix, graphic style. Previously, he utilized the same image for a poster and catalogue-cover designed created for the show Amerikansk pop-konst (American Pop Art) at the Moderna Museet in 1964. The reference for this work is the hand from the iconic WWI poster design by James Montgomery Flagg; the "I Want You for U.S. Army" poster (UMMA 1974/2.17) shows Uncle Sam pointing out at the viewer and calling him to join the fight. Here, Litchtenstein appropriated just the hand in order to both reference American popular culture as well as point out the similarity between military propaganda and commercial advertising in American culture.

Physical Description
The print shows a hand coming from the left of the frame on a solid red background. Depicted with the index finger pointing at the viewer, the skin of the hand is patterned with a grid of red dots. Part of the forearm is shown, with the cuff of the white shirt and black suit. The print is signed and numbered.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Primary Object Type
color print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Pop (fine arts styles)
collaboration
dot matrix printers
fingers (animal components)
portfolios (groups of works)
posters
world wars

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved