The Drowning Girl is a major artistic work done by Roy Lichtenstein in 1963. The painting is sometimes referred to as “Secret Hearts” or simply “I Don’t Care. I’d Rather Sink.” It’s an oil painting done on canvas to depict some artistic information (Lobel 118). The painting in itself passes on a lot of information in regards to women’s emotions. Nonetheless, the book is ordinary as it uses the universally accepted conventions of comic books. Due to its uniqueness, it’s regarded as an iconic work and continues to play a crucial role in the field of arts. Consequently, it’s part of the collections at the Museum of Modern Art’s Permanent collections from 1971 (Gabilliet 289). Furthermore, the work has also featured significantly at the Pop Art Movement. Art lovers describe Lichtenstein’s work as a masterpiece of melodrama, the primary reason for this is its ability and unique way of widely depict women’s emotions especially when they are in tragic situations, just as the sinking woman.
Drowning Girl is just but a simple oil painting of a woman drowning, as per the woman’s pleasure, she would rather drown than call for aid from Brad. In the ordinary sense, the woman must have been provoked by Brad to an extent she would not require any help from him (Lobel 120). The picture only illuminates the sea and some body parts of the woman who is almost sinking into the sea water. It’s only the woman’s head, shoulder, and hands that can still be seen above; the rest of her body is submerged under water. To reveal that the woman was indeed emotional, her eyes are covered by what is seen as tears. The picture elucidates the feeling of a woman who cries at the sea, seemingly overwhelmed by her emotions to a point that she prefers to drown than call for help. The young woman is drowning in her emotions, not because she can’t get help but because she opts not to (Gabilliet 288).
Contextual Analysis
Moreover, the melodrama part of it vividly reveals that Brad extremely hurt the woman. A profound and detailed analysis of Lichtenstein’s works show that the name Brad is a name he preferred to give to several heroes in his works, by extension, it means that Brad in painting was a hero too (Gabilliet 286). However, others researchers also argue that the picture clearly illustrates that the young woman was drowning in a sea of her tears. There is proximity of the woman’s drowning and emotional attachment. From the paint, the woman’s head can be seen resting on a huge wave just the same way people rest their heads on pillows, and she lies on waters as if she was lying on a bed. These aspects show how deep her emotion was to a point she sees the unordinary to be normal. The painting is just, but an example of the types of emotions women goes through. It’s quite clear that Brad extremely hurt the woman to a pint she never cared about her life. She is drowning in her tears (Lobel 118).Importance of the Art
The painting is especially important as it depicts what women go through. From the painting, people can have a feeling of humanity and take into consideration what the women feel. Emotions are driven by certain aspects of life. However, people don’t seem to care and mercilessly hurt women regardless of what they feel, the picture strives to elucidate certain feeling to care for the women’s emotions. Moreover, it’s an artistic work meant to be comprehended by art lovers (Gabilliet 285).
Works Cited.
Gabilliet, Jean-Paul. Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books. University Press of Mississippi, 2009, Print.
Lobel, Michael. Technology Envisioned: Lichtenstein's Monocularity". In Bader, Graham. Roy Lichtenstein. MIT Press, 2009, Print.
