Sara Gets Undressed (red)
Sara Gets Undressed (red)
Signed Print
Julian Opie
Lenticular, 2004
Signed Print Edition of 25
H 195cm x W 82cm
Critical Review
Sara Gets Undressed is a lenticular print by Julian Opie from 2011 that shows a moving image of a woman in the artist’s typical figurative style. Opie cleverly uses lenticular technology to create an image that from one angle shows the model with a short skirt and sparkly top on, and from another angle shows her wearing only her underwear. The figure stands provocatively with her arms behind her head and hips swayed to the 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.
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. 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.
