"That subject matter plays a crucial role in the formation of a style is undeniable; Lichtenstein's subjects are a case in point. Familiar by now, his images are still thoroughly provocative, capable of arousing anger, laughter, annoyance, a considerable range of human emotions. But the dynamic vitality of his subjects has in effect acted as a clever decoy, obscuring the very formidable originality of his pictorial statement. It may be an open question whether it is ever possible to sustain a subject matter of such heroic amplitude without an equally rigorous formal structure, but the historical evidence is against it. For Lichtenstein, as with any major artist for whom representation has provided the vehicle for innovation, subject matter functions as the bridge by which the artist accomplishes the transition from idea to art."