Ruth Smoking 4
Ruth Smoking 4
Signed Print
Julian Opie
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121 x 85cm, Edition of 50, Screenprint
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 50
Year: 2006
Size: H 121cm x W 85cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: August 2020
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Meaning & Analysis
Taken from Julian Opie’s Ruth Smokingseries, Ruth Smoking 4 is a screen print from 2006 that shows a three-quarter length portrait of the subject in a red bra, holding a cigarette in her left hand. The portrait is depicted in Opie’s graphic style, characteristic of his other works during the mid-2000s that use bold outlines and bright colour.
An important aspect for Opie in creating the commissioned portraits of Ruth, an art collector living in Geneva, was the fact that the sitter smoked and had long smooth hair. The element of smoking offered Opie the opportunity to animate this image with wisps of rising smoke in further iterations of the subject, thus allowing him to represent a sense of time through the static portrait.
Inspired by the woodblock prints of Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro, as well as early Renaissance painters such as Giovanni Bellini and Fra Angelico, Opie deliberately frames these images of Ruth as three-quarter length portraits to place his work in a historical, painterly context. In referencing historical, classic poses through the medium of computer drawing programmes and photography, Opie aims to distance model and viewer, placing the model in a fictional framework. This fictional role is then recognised as a type by the viewer, allowing for a multitude of interpretations.
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.
