Portrait
Signed Print

Name: Portrait
Brand: Julian Opie
Rating: 4.9 (226 reviews)

Julian Opie

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Medium: Screenprint

Edition size: 10

Year: 1980

Size: H 61cm x W 45cm

Signed: Yes

Format: Signed Print

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Meaning & Analysis

Portrait, by British artist Julian Opie, was originally released in 1980 in an edition of 10. In typical Opie style, the contours of the sitter’s face have been reduced to thick black lines and solid planes of colour. The lack of shadowing and highlights lends the image a decisive Pop Art, minimalist aesthetic.

Opie is perhaps best known for his portraits where faces are reduced to a series of lines, with a bold colour selected as the background, emphasising the flatness of the composition. By reducing images and subject matters to their most essential elements, such as in Portrait, Opie endeavours to interrogate how images are perceived and understood. These essential elements are then executed in a minimal, almost cartoon-like style, which draws inspiration from public signage to Japanese Manga and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Julian Opie, born in 1958, dances through the contemporary art scene with a distinctive digital allure. A trailblazer of the 1980s New British Sculpture movement, Opie's work is a highly stylised blend of Pop Art and minimalism which navigates the intersection of technology and visual expression. From his early experiments with computer-generated art to his iconic portraits and animated installations, Opie's work exudes a captivating simplicity. His signature style, marked by bold lines and reduced forms, is internationally recognisable and has made him a key player in British contemporary art.

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