Lichtenstein made these studies in response to a proposal from the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, to produce a pair of murals for the building's lobby. By flattening the perspective and employing colored outlines, Lichtenstein was able to make the various elements of the compositions appear weightless, arrayed like icons on a screen. The artist took a similar approach in a series of "virtual interiors" that he made a few years earlier, as home internet access was becoming widespread in the United States. When asked if this new style was a response to the advent of the digital age, the artist replied: "Yes, now everything will be in a virtual reality."
