A Selection from Girlfriends
This picture is one of Richard Prince’s “Girlfriends” photos. Taken from motorcycle magazines, the pictures are blown up photograph submissions from readers. Prince was apparently fascinated by how these photos represented readers’ two most important “possessions”—their bikes and their women. I saw this exhibit at the Walker and something about this photo I loved. While the majority of the photos seemed rather trashy, this one seemed to be artfully positioned, and represented something other than washed up middle-aged Harley culture.
While the women in this photo is topless, it seems much more tasteful than many of the other photos, perhaps because while the women in the other selections seem to be trying hard to be “sexy,” this women exudes sexuality without awkwardly positioning herself on most prized possession #1. I also like the framing of the photo, and find it quite interesting that this photo, unlike the other ones, appears to have been taken inside, suggesting that the moment is more intimate, but the viewer of the photo is privy to it. In a sense, it almost seems voyeuristic. Also, the photo is clearly taken by an amateur, rather than a high fashion photographer, further adding to the intimate feel.
This particular image was scanned in from a book on Prince’s works, as I’ve been unable to locate it online (never mind the issue of each “Girlfriends” photo being titled the same), so there isn’t a link to the image. It is also worth noting how the meaning of this photograph changes as it transferred from the back of a motorcycle magazine, submitted by a reader, to being a blown up glossy hanging in art galleries. Even though it is the same photo, Prince’s rendering of it takes it to a whole new level of artistry—however questionable that may be.