Art Daily: the art of Julian Opie

In art, I tend to focus on Australian art because I know it best, it resonates me and I can set it in context. I am less familiar with international art, certainly current international art. Here I tend to dip, looking at artists or works that have somehow become relevant to a current interest. It makes for a very patchwork quilt effect.

I mention this now because I have taken out a subscription (its free) to Art Daily. Yes, I realise that I already get too much stuff. At the moment, my in tray still has 1,456 items, and that's after clearing over 1,000 emails this week. But its rather fun.

This illustration shows works by Julian Opie featured at San Francisco's Jenkins Johnson's Winter Salon exhibition. I quote:

On view are his series Tourists; Walking in the Rain; and his lenticular series Walking In London 1 and 2. Opie is one of the most significant artists of his generation whose work is immediately identifiable. His pieces examine how we, as viewers, see things. His portraits, sculptures, and reliefs provide a way of depicting the world in which he balances the nuanced styles of Western Art with graphic traditions of caricature, illustration, and even cartoon. In the Opie style of graphic minimalism yet acutely descriptive, these series render figures in bold black outlines, capturing the personality of each. The series Tourists (screen printed with hand painting) depict telling portraits of people who might have just walked by on the street. While the works Walking in the Rain, London and Walking in the Rain, Seoul give the impression of being immersed on a busy urban sidewalk, bustling with noise. We will also feature his lenticular prints, a technique that utilizes multiple lenses to produce the illusion of depth and motion. The Walking in London lenticulars include figures such as Architect and Musician who shift in front of your eyes as you move in front of them.

I hadn't heard of Julian Opie, but he is clearly a leading British artist. His street scenes remind me somewhat of the Australian artist John Brack, although Brack belongs to a different period. Were I in San Francisco, I would certainly go to see Opie's work.