Six Brushstrokes

One of the last works of Roy Lichtenstein, 'Six Brushstrokes' is an artwork made of aluminium sculpture that infuses Chinese calligraphic traditions and western bebop that portray abstract illusions of nature, seashores and land, thereby completing Lichtenstein's wish to display his art in Singapore. These post-industrial themed artworks are commissioned explicitly at Millennia Walk, Singapore. Six Brushstrokes was authorised in 1996. These six different pieces of aluminium sculptures are at a distance of four to twelve meters. Each of the six sculptures is a perfect manifestation of Chinese and Western culture.

First invented in Rhode Island, Bristol and later built at the Roy Lichtenstein Sculpture Plaza, near the Millenia Walk, Singapore, the six brushstrokes series is considered as a satirical parody of gesturalism. Roy Lichtenstein later engulfed these series of artworks into ideas and themes of his work. These figures are vibrantly coloured, have a very defined black outline and are peculiar to Lichtenstein's masterpieces. Inspired by the outdoor civic art in the grand tradition of Picasso, Roy's works were also a manifested example of the same. However, these art installations were flown to Singapore just months before Roy's last days. An ode to ending his life as an artist and his monumental achievements, the Six Brushstrokes stand in all their glory, thereby, portraying a perfect blend of Chinese and Western calligraphic traditions and a plain, careless brushstroke.