In this post, I will begin researching another pop art artist that would enhance the comprehension of how their artwork work, what inspire them and how they made their artwork. This is crucial as I need to relate their artwork for my project this term. The artist that I am going to research is Julian Opie.
Julian Opie is a contemporary British artist. His work mostly a depictions of figures, portraits and landscapes. His artwork are the combination of Pop Art and Minimalism where his work are typically designed with thick black outlines with solid colour filled. Although, his earliest work of art that he worked on was painted steel sculpture where he developed his observation of visual and spatial. Throughout his journey, he has been broadened his career like painting, installation, and cover art for albums. (Artnet, 2023) I am certain that by making a research of him could develop the ideas of Pop Art and cover art for albums as he also making art that quite related to my projects.
Sissi looking upwards by Julian Opie (2015)
One of his artwork called "Sissi looking upwards" was his painting that he did imitating a figure of a little sister and her expression, especially here, I can say the expression of the eyes and mouth. The colour also is very heavily shadow emphasized. According to The Art Story (n.d.), how he explore the mechanism of human expression and movement, Julian Opie stated that, "to be able to draw the subtle movements of the face, I had to find a new way of drawing. I looked at Japanese manga and old master paintings to understand how shadows instead of lines could be used for drawing". While Julian Opie making this art piece, he was also reference to Japanese art, specifically on the shadow part of figures. I can see that his work here has three layers, highlight, tone and shadow. This art piece also was printed using "lenticular" printing method. The method involved like artist creating a sequence of animation, where there are couple of layered put on top of each other to create illusion of movement. (The Art Story, n.d.) This artwork also actually featuring his own daughter. His artwork and what his inspired to is very related to my work as the Pop art here that vectorized his daughter and make it pop art which is simple and yet iconic. He also use Japanese manga as reference for his observation how shadows work, however, in my work, I am making something that heavily inspired with Japanese elements which is kind a digress a bit.
Lucia, back 2. by Julian Opie (2017)
Source:
Julian Opie
The backstory of process making this artwork, Julian Opie spends hour in public trying to take photograph of the passer-by. However, he quite keen of their behavior after most of the passer-by that he tried to take the picture refuse to have their picture taken till that he quote "refusing your gaze". This is how he came up with an ideas of someone looking back as they are refuse to look into the camera.
Julian Opie artwork is noticeably simple but the concept behind making it is more complex that it look like. Julian Opie are aware that his pieces of artwork are quite too simple that some individual assume his portraiture being pared-down, however Julian Opie is against that idea. Julian Opie trying to express something as his presence and how to communicate of what he is witnessing from his own perspective, that make him unable to explain it. This is the reason from him that think his work are complicated and complex. (The Art Story, n.d.)
As for the element of his art here, I can see that he has the basic shadow on the figure and the lines are heavily thick. His kind of artwork that what make him known as he has his own Pop art sense. The colour that he applied also is not that outstanding and bright, this cause he keep on sticking with the simple idea but complex.
Reference:
Artnet.com. (2023). Available at: https://www.artnet.com/artists/julian-opie/ [Accessed 26 May 2024].
The Art Story. (n.d.). Julian Opie Paintings, Bio, Ideas. [online] Available at: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/opie-julian/ [Accessed 26 May 2024].
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