The Sun and Other Stars: Katy Grannan and Charlie White at LACMA Museum
Recording and being recorded are the two competing and overlapping aspects that form the lifeline of portraiture (LACMA, 1). Artists Katty Grannan and Charlie White are so conversant with these aspects that they have come together highlight the double side of individuality, which is the strength and weakness of individuality in the contemporary western culture. It is noteworthy that there is tension between the concepts of identity and subjectivity especially in the current world where media representations dominate the idea self. Grannan and White present these contrasting ideas in a sophisticated manner that they have come together for the show “The Sun and Other Stars”, which will be taking place at LACMA Museum (LACMA 1).
Grannan deals with portraits that capture adult subjects with the intention of transforming them from insignificance to eccentricity using pathos and frankness. Meanwhile, White portraiture consists of portraits of blonde teenage girls in an attempt to display the totalitarian taste for superstar and lack of sentimentality (LACMA, 1). It is evident that as insignificance characterize the portraits of the old as the young desire to have a celebrity look, thus sensitive about their looks; there is something in the individuality of the old and not the lack of sentimentality in the young, which brings out the aspect of human subject.
Even though, Grannan’s portrait differ from White’s portraits, the fact that Grannan posed her images in front of white walls under intense lighting from the sun makes her images look like those of White’s who shoots his photos in studios. One similar thing about the portraits of both the artists is that every detail of the picture draws the viewer’s attention to only the subject (LACMA, 1). This is because of Grannan’s use of boulevards and White’s use of grids as the background.
It is certain that the previous works of these artists have had a significant influence to their current works, and this is because of their focus on the subject rather than the individual stands out clearly. For instance, the images White made in 1999 on peoples reaction to strange encounters focused on the subject just like Grannans images she took of nude or nearly nude adolescent women centered in sterile suburban living rooms (LACMA 1). Therefore, it is clear that the use of intense lighting, and just a few parts of captured portraits and the crispness that only allows the viewer to see the brutal details of the portraits are the backbone of the two artists. This is because though the strangeness and bigness of the portraits together with the later aspects of the portraits, the artists try to show who exists outside the photo frame.
Work cited
LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). The Sun and Other Stars: Katy Grannan and
Charlie White. 2012, Retrieved from < The Sun and Other Stars: Katy Grannan and Charlie White at LACMA Museum>
