Until the early 1960s, Lichtenstein created art in an expressive, highly abstract style. His breakthrough came in 1961 with the seminal painting “Look Mickey,” in which he introduced the expressive values that would play such a pivotal role in his future work. A reduced color scheme, bold contours, and the grid-like division of the pictorial surface are some of the unique characteristics he employed at this pioneering point in his career. The speech balloon in this painting is another notable feature that illustrates Lichtenstein's orientation toward stylistic elements of comic art.
The present silkscreen print is one of the early graphic works displaying Lichtenstein's characteristic repertoire. On the occasion of the grand exhibition “Pop and Op,” eleven renowned American and British artists—including Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Mel Ramos, and John Wesley—were commissioned to contribute three prints each to the portfolio “11 Pop Artists.” The resulting works then toured the United States with other selected Op Art prints.
The silkscreen print “Sweet Dreams Baby!” taken from volume III of the portfolio is particularly compelling for its bold concision. In addition to the structuring of Benday Dots in the areas of the face and fist, it is, above all, the motion lines and the corresponding onomatopoeic lettering “Pow!” that convey the strong dynamics and expressiveness of the motif. This striking work has all the hallmarks of Lichtenstein's distinctive style.