Spontaneous strokes of pure energy; a series of dots painstakingly placed in regimental lines. What has Chinese traditional painting to do with American pop art? Nothing at all, and quite a lot, is probably the answer, especially in light of a show opening at the Hong Kong Museum of Art on May 19, showing 14 works by Roy Lichtenstein inspired by Sung Dynasty scrolls.
These atmospheric works were created shortly before he died very unexpectedly - of complications following pneumonia - at the age of 73 last year.
Indeed one of his last projects was planning this show in Singapore and Hong Kong, intended to coincide with the opening of the Roy Lichtenstein Sculpture Park in Singapore's Millennia Walk, now rescheduled for May 20.
Curator Sarina Tang explained how this collection shows how Lichtenstein's style developed.
'In the 1960s all the dots were the same, and he used about five colours, but here he has 50 colours, which make quite a subtle sense of atmosphere.' There is a strong degree of irony in the work, but Ms Tang said there is as much homage as humour from the man of whom she said that, in 28 years, 'he was the least arrogant, the most thoughtful artist I have met . . . and when he had an idea he always had a twinkle in his eye; his enthusiasm was infectious.' This Chinese project stemmed from Lichtenstein's long fascination with the power of the brush stroke 'and in Chinese art the brush is everything.' She said Lichtenstein was intrigued by the meditative quality of Chinese painting.
'He loved the idea that in Chinese art, nature surrounds man, while in the West nature is depicted as a part of man's own experience.' In his early days Lichtenstein tried abstract expressionism - it was, after all, the trendy thing for earnest artists in the 1950s - but soon swapped daubs for dots.