Drowning Girl

Title: Drowning Girl
Description: Drowning Girl is a 1963 American painting in oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas by Roy Lichtenstein, based on original art by Tony Abruzzo. The painting is considered among Lichtenstein's most significant works, perhaps on a par with his acclaimed 1963 diptych Whaam!.
Date: 1963
Artsist: Lichtenstein, Roy; Lichtenstein, Roy, 1923-1997
Identifier: 685.1971.; Museum of Modern Art
Terms: oil paint (paint); polymer paint; sex role; gaze (psychoanalytical concept); Pop (fine arts styles)
Material: Oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Location: Museum of Modern Art, New York City; Museum of Modern Art
Measurements: 171.6 cm × 169.5 cm (67+5⁄8 inches × 66+3⁄4 inches)
Technique: painters (artists)
Analysis: Comic-inspired imagery emphasizing female vulnerability and melodrama:
(20th century) In Drowning Girl, Lichtenstein uses comic-book style to show a woman who feels overwhelmed and would rather drown than ask for help. The stylized waves and close framing make her seem even more isolated, and the dramatic text highlights a stereotype of female weakness. While the painting uses the bold, mechanical look typical of Pop Art, it focuses on female vulnerability as something to be “dramatic”. This shows how mass media often repeats stories shaped by the male gaze, presenting women as emotional figures meant to be judged.
Movement: Pop art; Comic book