I was day-dreaming this weekend and started thinking about “America” as subject matter for an artists life work.
Granted, I had just finished reading the original scroll of On The Road but still the idea of “America” as subject matter is dear to me. In my case it’s more evident in my photography than my painting and I know that not every piece by an artist is about the same thing, but it struck me that even when avoiding subjects – the specter of the big “A” inevitably comes to the front for those artists.
Anyway, in my daydream, I’m talking to Allen Ginsburg about the differences between “real” and “presented” images (we were initially speaking of verite documentary style). He (AG) starts talking about Robert Frank versus Helmut Newton, and I’m like oh yeah, that’s pretty obvious – until I really start to think about those newton images – especially the ultra-luxury lifestyle/sexstyle images he put together through his amazing career. I was talking on my side about Richard Prince versus Wiliam Eggleston. Later during another part of my conversation with AG I realized how wrong I was about all of this.
I will never think of Helmut Newton and think “America” but I sure do for the other three – I especially think of Richard Prince as being the quintessential image maker about “America”. I know a lot of people could list a bunch of names right now and maybe they would think that they were right, maybe they are, but not to me. For a moment get past the “rephotography” and the “Pictures Group” labels and start to look at Prince’s work as a startling overview of middle class dreams and aspirations. Take a moment to consider that the whole idea of a middle class is an american conceit – and lets look at the themes and images.
Cowboys, Biker Chicks, Naughty Nurses, Dirty Old Man Type Jokes and Cartoons and Muscle Cars. I become less aware of the medium for all of these ideas, because as a whole they speak in lock-step about one subject.
If you have read this blog for any length of time you will know of my fascination of RP. Recently he has been getting a ton of press (so I probably didn’t need to write this), but I do think his current status is not an accident. The work has been presented in a rational and unromanticized approach from the beginning. I think being able to avoid that land mine has been possibly the hardest work Prince has done in his career. The Guggenheim has decided to show a retrospective (in my mind more of a mid-career overview) late September.
Let’s talk more about this then.