In a 1995 lecture in conjunction with the Kyoto Prize, he said "I did a series of four large, about 8' x10', paintings of interiors of artists' studios.

[5] From among the Artist's Studio series works, this depicts "the deepest, most plainly articulated interior space.

[10] Less notable works include the mirror and the Trompe-l'œil painting of the rear side of the canvas.

This is not true, of course, of many early—including Renaissance— depictions of paintings on walls, where there’s always a remove indicated through modulation, or some other way of showing that the depicted painting is not pasted on the picture or something like that.The Studio series was inspired by Matisse paintings, and Diane Waldman claims that this particular effort was modelled upon Matisse's L'Atelier Rouge (The Red Studio),[14][15] although the Lichtenstein Foundation website credits two other Matisse works as inspiration as well as Fernand Léger's The Baluster, 1925, which is represented in the far right corner.

[7] A sketch for this work demonstrates Lichtenstein's original intent to incorporate a "plant-in-vessel arrangement" as well as fruit on the table, but these Matisse references were instead depicted on the floor of the studio.

In the original, Lichtenstein depicted sound with motion lines that present a pronounced movement of the object.

[17] According to Janis Hendrickson, "For someone familiar with the artist's oeuvre, the Studios could become mental playgrounds.

"[10] Waldman notes that "Perhaps the most significant aspect of the work is its retrospective nature and the decision by the artist to reflect on his life, past and present.

"[14] The small portion of the original that was cropped out was the majority of Mickey Mouse, emphasizing Donald Duck, who Graham Bader sees as Lichtenstein's metaphorical representation.