Was ist los, indeed! That's German for "What's the matter?" I spent nearly two years in Germany as a member of the US Army in the 1950s and learned to speak the language--somewhat. My painting below, which has the title Kapitan Lichtenstein! is a send-up of a painting Roy Lichtenstein did in 1963 at the peak of the comic book phase of his career.
Roy lifted--almost stroke for stroke--a panel from Our Fighting Forces (October 1962) drawn by some anonymous D.C. artist. Lichtenstein's painting Torpedo…LOS! resides in a private collection, but probably would command a high six-figure price if brought to auction today. At the Chicago Comic Convention several years ago, I looked for and purchased a copy of that same comic book for only $8.00. Given how much other Silver Age comic books bring, that issue should sell for much, much more, but I suspect Fine Art aficionados fail to attend comic conventions and the comic book collectors don't always know what's in the lesser books that don't feature Spider-Man or The Flash. If you're looking for a hedge against Inflation, pick up some of the comic books that Roy Lichtenstein used for inspiration and put them away for your grandchildren. Sooner or later, someone will make the connection and prices will rise.
I reprised the panel of the U-Boat commander launching a torpedo, then surrounded it with several miscellaneous panels from the same issue and other sources. For instance, the American skipper actually is Pat Ryan of Terry and the Pirates fame; his lieutenant is Buz Sawyer.
This painting was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. It occupied me off and on for the better part of a year. I finally finished Kapitan Lichtenstein! in September 1998 and have exhibited it on a number of occasions. It never ceases to attract attention, partly because of the bright colors, but also because of its size: 4 feet by 5 feet. At an exhibit of my work at the Vickers Theatre in Three Oaks, Michigan during the summer of 1999, a German exchange student was astounded to see the painting and asked all sorts of questions. The student might have bought Kapitan Lichtenstein!, but he couldn't fit it into his backpack.
KAPITAN LICHTENSTEIN: Acrylic and oil on canvas; 4 feet by 5 feet. This painting sold recently to an art collector in Indianapolis, who visited my studio to pick it up. When I asked the collector why she chose this particular canvas, she smiled and said, "I have a large wall." Seems like a good reason. (She also loved the bright colors.) Kapitan Lichtenstein was a lot of fun to paint, although it absorbed a lot of time and energy. I almost hated to lose it, but my wife Rose is always happy to collect money for paintings that I can mark, Sold!