JULIAN OPIE, BIJOU GETS UNDRESSED 8, BIJOU GETS UNDRESSED SERIES, SIGNED SCREEN PRINT, EDITION OF 30, 2004
Julian Opie’s screen print Bijou Gets Undressed 8 from his Bijou Gets Undressed series (2004) is a horizontal composition showing the model, Bijou, depicted in his characteristic linear style. Showing Bijou is a sequence of five different poses, this is an example of Opie’s more sexually charged subjects, as the figure is shown to take off her skirt, left in the final pose with only her underwear on.
Interested in creating a syntax of signs that convey information or personalities in a quick and intense manner, Opie draws inspiration from public signs like those found on lavatory doors to depict the figure. As with many of the artist’s work throughout his oeuvre, Bijou Gets Undressed 8 shows the figure with a blank circle as a head, and she is defined only by a clear-cut outline of clothing.
Ambiguous and alluring, Bijou is anonymised, aside from the first name provided by the print’s title, due to her featureless face and simplified form. Maintaining sex appeal, the anonymity of the figure allows for a multitude of interpretations from the viewer to emerge, prompting one to think about how we relate to this image and resemble one another.
Read more about Bijou Gets Undressed by Julian Opie.
ABOUT JULIAN OPIE
British artist Julian Opie challenges traditional approaches to portraiture through his digitally designed and seemingly contradictory, depersonalised works. Working also with landscapes and cityscapes, Opie’s highly stylised work involves the reduction of photographs or short films into figurative reproductions created using computer software. The hallmarks of his artistic style are portraits and animated walking figures, rendered with minimal detail in black line drawing. Learn more about Julian Opie.
