Lichtenstein’s work is characterized by the exploration of the graphic process of cartoons and advertising and by the appropriation of everyday images and themes. Lichtenstein started by painting by hand motifs chosen from printed material, meticulously reproducing, in ink and stencil, newspaper Ben-Day dots, an affordable technique for the creation of nonprimary colors, particularly skin tones. A palette that, aside from black and white, typically included flat, brilliant colors—predominantly a ‘purplish blue’ and a ‘medium-standard red’—along with figures outlined in
black, ensure the high visual impact of Lichtenstein’s images.