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A leading figure in the Pop art movement, Lichtenstein's work was inspired by the comic strip and advertisements. "CRAK!" is considered one of Lichtenstein's first Pop prints that draws on comic strip imagery. The visuals used for "CRAK!" are from Bob Haney and Jack Abel's 1962 DC comic, "Star Spangled War Stories #102," and used as a marketing poster to announce Lichtenstein's 1963 exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery in New York.
Lichtenstein cropped and isolated the female figure from the comic to emphasize the drama, a method he used frequently. The woman is rendered with monocular vision, where one eye is open and the other obscured, a theme also seen in Lichtenstein's other comic-inspired works. "Now, mes petits...pour la France!" translates to "Now, my little ones...for France!"