Catherine Opie – Photography, Painting and Portraiture
UCLA Arts professor Catherine Opie is best known for her documentation of American life. She rose to prominence in the mid-1990s with portraits capturing the West Coast leather community.
In this video, the Opie visits Tate Britain to discuss the influence of painting on her photography. In particular, European old master paintings have been a strong influence on her 2017 body of work, Portraits and Landscapes. Her sitters, which include fellow artists and friends David Hockney, Gillian Wearing, Duro Olowu, Thelma Golden, and Isaac Julien, are theatrically lit against a black drop cloth.
Read more about Professor Opie here.
Hear Opie's thoughts on the arts and bravery in the creative process below.
Hear from more of the unique voices of the UCLA Arts community and Los Angeles arts leaders on the UCLA Arts youtube channel and take a deep dive into the world of An Imaginative Offer for even more insight and inspiration.