Minimalism + Motion – Julian Opie

Julian Opie – City Walkers 2

“What I would really like to do is make a painting and then walk into it” – Julian Opie

Julian Opie is an amazing British pop artist who’s been making waves in the art world for decades. His technique and style are unique, characterized by simplicity and pop culture references. Opie’s work combines elements of traditional portraiture and landscape painting with modern digital techniques, resulting in an instantly recognizable style that has won him international acclaim.

Education & Early Life

Julian Opie was born in 1958 in London and raised in Oxford, England. Opie’s early life was influenced by his parents’ passion for art. His father was an economist, his mother was a schoolteacher and they both nurtured Opie’s own interest in art as he began to experiment with various mediums at a young age.

After studying at Goldsmiths College of Art from 1976 to 1980, Opie began to really establish himself as an artist. He exhibited his work in London and around the world, and his popularity quickly grew. His unique technique and style caught the attention of art critics and the general public alike. He soon became known as one of the leading figures of the New British Sculpture movement.

(The New British Sculpture movement was a movement in art that began in the late 1970s and peaked in the early 1990s. It was characterized by a return to traditional sculptural techniques and materials, as well as a renewed interest in figurative and representational art. The movement was spearheaded by a group of artists who came to be known as the Young British Artists (or YBAs). This group included Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, and several others.)

Technique & Style

“Everything you see is a trick of the light… light bouncing into your eye, light casting shadows, creating depth, shapes, colours. Turn off the light and it’s all gone. We use vision as a means of survival and it’s essential to take it for granted in order to function, but awareness allows us to look at looking and by extension look at ourselves and be aware of our presence. Drawing, drawing out the way that process feels and works brings the awareness into the present and into the real world, the exterior world.” – Julian Opie

Julian Opie works in many different mediums, but is perhaps best known for his sculptural and digital artwork. His portraits, landscapes, and cityscapes are all rendered in a very minimalistic style, often using only a few basic shapes and thick. black lines. This un