Whaam! is a 1963 diptych painting by American artist Roy Lichtenstein. The painting's title (pictured) is displayed in the large onomatopoeia in the right panel. One of the best-known works of pop art, it is among Lichtenstein's most important paintings. Whaam! was first exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City in 1963, and purchased by the Tate Gallery, London, in 1966. It has been on permanent display at Tate Modern since 2006. The left-hand panel of Whaam! shows a fighter plane shooting a missile. The right-hand panel depicts the missile hitting its target, a second plane, which explodes into flames. Lichtenstein based the image on elements taken from several comic-book panels. He transformed his primary prototype, a panel from a 1962 war comic book, by dividing the composition into two panels and altering the relationship of the graphical and narrative elements. Whaam! is regarded for the temporal, spatial and psychological integration of its two panels, which Lichtenstein conceived as a contrasting pair. Lichtenstein, who served in the United States Army during World War II, depicted aerial combat in several works.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaam!
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1777:
American Revolutionary War: Lancaster, Pennsylvania, became the capital of the United States for one day as members of the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia, which had been captured by the British. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster,_Pennsylvania
1875:
The Ellen Southard wrecked in a storm at Liverpool, England; the United States Congress subsequently awarded 27 gold Lifesaving Medals to the lifeboat men who rescued her crew. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Southard
1916:
Lij Iyasu, the emperor-designate of Ethiopia, was deposed in favor of his aunt, Zewditu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyasu_V
1988:
Led by pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi (pictured), the political party National League for Democracy was founded in Burma. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League_for_Democracy
1993:
War in Abkhazia: After capturing the city of Sukhumi, Abkhaz separatists and their allies massacred large numbers of Georgian civilians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhumi_massacre
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
hallux: The big toe. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hallux
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
It requires time to bring honest Men to think & determine alike even in important Matters. Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason. --Samuel Adams https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Adams