JULIAN OPIE NEW YORK COUPLE: 6
“The walking people don’t address you, they walk past in profile oblivious to the viewer which gives them a kind of dignity, like an animal.”
Julian Opie’s artwork is similar to pop-art. Portraits and animated walking figures, rendered with minimal detail in black line drawing, are hallmarks of the artist's style. His work has been described as described as having "engagement with art history, use of new technology, obsession with the human body/”
Julian Opie writes, “I have been drawing people walking for years. Walking seems the most natural and obvious of human movements, it’s the thing we see most people doing out on the street and above all it’s something I am able to draw. By repeating one single drawn step I can draw walking. Ancient Egyptians drew people striding side-on, it gives a sense of purpose, direction and energy to the image.”
Julian Opie emerged as an influential figure in the British art scene of the 1980s. The artist began his career by creating images of buildings. Then after the birth of his first child, began focusing on animals, inspired by his daughter’s stuffed animals. Portraits and animated walking figures, rendered with minimal detail in black line drawing have emerged as hallmarks of the artist’s late style.
The portfolio 2019 New York Couple may initially seems like it portrays real couples, but Julian Opie actually curated the pairings. He described observing people in New York and his artistic process; “I need people to be in a certain moment in their stride, a moment that is balanced with their knees bent and their weight on one foot…I’ll draw all the people who are drawable and then I’ll play with them and mix and match them into groups.”
New York Couple 6 (2019) from the portfolio 2019 New York Couple by Julian Opie is a screenprint with inkjet and collage on Canson Conservation Board presented in a sprayed white frame specified by the artist. New York Couple 6 is an edition of 55. Julian Opie signed the label on the back of the frame. For more information about the entire New York Couple 6 portfolio or Julian Opie please contact the gallery. Call for Value
