"masterpiece" is regarded as a tongue in cheek joke that reflects upon lichtenstein's own career. in retrospect, the joke is considered "witty and yet eerily prescient" because it portended some of the future turmoil that the artist would endure. in the painting, the blonde female's speech bubble, "why, brad darling, this painting is a masterpiece! my, soon you'll have all of new york clamoring for your work!" conveys her remark as she gazes at the painting, of which a corner of the back is shown. silent brad conveys his agreement by his facial expression. adrian searle of "the guardian" says that the 1962 work, whose narrative and graphical content were both borrowed, was timely because lichtenstein had his first exhibition in new york city at leo castelli gallery that year, making the painting aspirational in an ironic way that comments on success and "the socio-sexual status of the hot young artist". the satirical commentary on lichtenstein's career, followed the inside joke made the year before in "mr. bellamy". according to roberta smith of "the new york times", "masterpiece" was one of lichtenstein's works created in a way that produced "faint and uneven" ben day dots.