Galloping horse
Julian OPIE
United Kingdom born 1958
Galloping horse 2012
LED double sided monolith
Associated with the New British Sculpture movement, Julian Opie was born in London where he later studied at Goldsmiths College from 1979 to 1982. He is known widely for his LED (Light Emitting Diode) works featuring urban and rural scenes, portraits, walking figures and a galloping horse such as we see here. Opie draws on popular culture for his prints and paintings, utilizing new technology to create comparable imagery for wall-mounted panels and LED structures that capture the viewer’s attention in the manner of digital billboards. Opie’s works are notable for their pared-back simplicity, flat planes of colour and clean black outlines. The artist first became intrigued with the possibilities of LED technology when he noticed a tiny galloping horse on a Korean taxi meter. Acknowledged influences on his style include art historical sources, commercial design, lightbox advertising, Japanese Manga, 19th century silhouettes, Roman busts and Egyptian art.