Catherine Opie's Exhibit: Portraits
Just as all of the different pairings with art that we have
studied throughout the quarter have historical points where they first began to
flourish, Catherine Opie’s portraits help illustrate important events
throughout history. Opie specifically focuses on contemporary America over the
past 30 years.
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| Portrait by Opie |
She gives us an insight into American’s emotions and reactions
to these moving events. She is able to capture emotions remarkably, almost transporting
the viewer to the time that the portrait was taken.
Opie’s work draws from a
mix of influences from Renaissance painting and street photography traditions.
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| Portrait by Opie |
Often
times she will select sitters from her close circle of friends, including other
artists, designers and even writers. The most unique part of Opie’s work is how
she illuminates her sitters while they are surrounded by darkness, “as if lit from
within by their intellectual potency”. Opie’s work can also be attributed to
the lecture on Two Cultures because she juxtaposes mainstream and abnormal
society. Many people attest to being within one of these two cultures. However,
I would argue that in Los Angeles the two cultures are often intermixed. The fast-paced
life style of many people in Los Angeles can make it difficult to deter your self
from any one category. It becomes easier to go with the flow and find the best
path for each individual, whether that be mainstream, abnormal, or a mixture of
both.
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| Proof of me at the Hammer Museum |
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