Why is the Sara collection important?

The Sara prints are representative of Opie’s skill in depicting movement through static, two-dimensional images. Cleverly using gestures typically seen in strip shows and catwalks, Opie shows the figure in a single posture that exudes motion and sensuality. In particular, with regards to the Sara Dancing series, when placed alongside one another these prints show a smooth continuation of poses, as the figure is seen to be swaying from side to side.

How do I buy a Sara artwork?

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How can I sell my Sara artwork?

If you're looking to sell art by Julian Opie, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.

Sara by Julian Opie Background & Meaning

Julian Opie’s Sara collection features a set of full-length images of a woman provocatively posed and rendered in the artist’s typical figurative style. This series presents Sara as an anonymous figure, with a blank circle for a head hovering over her shoulders and without a neck or even feet. In some prints the model is dressed in a skirt and top, in others she has removed her clothes to reveal her underwear and prints such as Sarah, Stretch (2003) show the figure nude.

Presenting an image of the ‘ideal’ female body as consumed through the mass media, Opie creates an image whereby the figure’s lack of features actually draws more attention to the curves in her body and her sexuality. Opie has produced many images of this particular model in varying poses, but in most cases chooses to show Sara standing seductively with her arms behind her head and hips swayed to the side.

Opie has created these images through his renowned technique of using computer drawing programmes. Initially Opie captures the sitters through digital photographs so as to get a feel for their personality and point to any crucial details that are integral to their character. He then chooses his favourite images and draws over the individual digital photograph on the computer to produce a simplified pictogram that resembles a sign.

As a computer-generated image, rendered in such a way that the figure appears more like a sign than an individual, Opie produces a depersonalised portrait of the stereotypical ‘ideal’ woman. Opie depicts not an identifiable woman, but the process of abstraction itself and makes a point on how we look at images. By presenting the figure without any facial features and a floating blank circle as a head, Opie forces the viewer to consider why they find this image so alluring and what constitutes attractiveness.

The Sara prints are representative of Opie’s skill in depicting movement through static, two-dimensional images. Cleverly using gestures typically seen in strip shows and catwalks, Opie shows the figure in a single posture that exudes motion and sensuality. In particular, with regards to the Sara Dancing series, when placed alongside one another these prints show a smooth continuation of poses, as the figure is seen to be swaying from side to side.
Opie has produced many images of this particular model in varying poses that convey movement and emotion through the static image. Sara Gets Undressed (red) adds another layer of movement and allure through the use of lenticular technology that works to remove her clothing. Indeed, set against a vivid, red backdrop, this print has a theatrical sensibility that is hard to resist. Furthermore, the use of lenticular technology at a scale that is life-size works to establish a bodily relation between viewer and subject. As the viewer moves past the lenticular image, the subject moves with them, and so the viewer becomes more conscious of their own body movements and how we view others.
If you're looking to sell art by Julian Opie, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.