“I always tell the people I’m photographing not to look at the lens but to look through the lens. I want them to look through you a little bit. I told them I wanted them to be in a really special place inside their heads, to be kind of dreamy and confident at the same time.”

Catherine Opie (b. 1961). Jo, 1993. Chromogenic print, 20 x 16 inches, edition of 8

Opie’s Portraits series, encompassing more than fifty photographs created between 1993 and 1997, synthesizes an approach that is at once grounded in documentary tradition and deeply personal. The subject matter is her community of gay and lesbian friends. As part of a community that is not represented in mainstream American culture, Opie sought to provide visibility and representation to her friends and the community at large.

Opie creates discrete bodies of work in series, each with specific parameters. Portraits reflects a typological tradition that can be traced from nineteenth-century archival documentation through August Sander’s People of the 20th Century project, which Opie has cited as an influence. Sander’s straightforward portraits, taken during the Weimar Republic, are frontal, centered in the frame, evenly lit, and present individuals organized by types such as “The Skilled Tradesman,” “Classes and Professions,” and “The Artists.” Although Opie’s photographs echo Sander's in many ways, she is careful to present her subjects on their own terms, without a repressive system of labeling.

In the tradition of the Northern Renaissance court painter Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98–1543), Opie isolates her subjects against vibrantly colored backgrounds of blue, brown, green, purple, or red. She says, “the colored backdrop allows your eye to go through the photograph in a different way than if it was, say, a person sitting in their house. It’s about separating the subject from their world, but still representing their world through their body.” The portraits are often three-quarter or bust-length shots, with the subjects standing or sitting, their eyes frequently locked with the lens in looks that range from boredom to defiance.

This highly formal style of composition is a means of paying tribute to her friends, who were unaccustomed to such dignified pictorial treatment. As Opie liked to think, “The photographs stare back, or they stare through you. They’re very royal. I say that my friends are like my royal family.”

Opie’s Portraits celebrate the bravery of her subjects’ decisions to craft their own identities in the face of restrictive social norms. The series documents this living community, rendering visible an otherwise invisible or misunderstood sector of American culture with characteristic respect and compassion.

• Although photographs don’t always reveal reality, what are some of the characteristics that this portrait suggests about its subject? Write a brief character profile that includes what you imagine this person’s approximate age, livelihood, living situation, and hobbies might be.
• This person’s eyes seem to be looking directly at the viewer. If you were to start a conversation with this person, what might be the dialogue?
• Opie acknowledges the influence of Renaissance court painter Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/1498–1543) in her approach to these portraits and even refers to this series of photographs as her “royal family.” Compare Opie’s approach to Holbein’s painting of Sir Thomas More. What similarities do you notice? What differences?
• If Opie were to create your portrait, what pose would best portray you? Why? What color fabric would you prefer in the background? Why?

• One of Opie’s motivations in creating this series was to depict her friends in a respectful and dignified way that replaced stereotypes. A stereotype is an exaggerated belief, image, or generalization about a person or group. Stereotypes are based on images in mass media, or ideas passed on by parents or peers. Once learned, stereotypes and prejudices resist change, even when evidence points to the contrary. What group do you feel is unfairly stereotyped by the media? Today’s kids, teenagers, an ethnic or religious group, etc. may come to mind. Explain the difference between the way this group is stereotyped and your personal experience of these individuals.
  Social Studies


• The Web site tolerance.org is dedicated to dismantling bigotry and creating communities that value diversity. The site offers resources for teachers, parents, teenagers, and kids, and includes a section titled “Hidden Bias: A Primer About Stereotypes and Prejudices” that discusses the effects of prejudice and stereotypes and what you can do to prevent them.
  Social Studies


• Opie presents a print to each of her subjects. Some display them proudly, while others are uncomfortable with their depictions. What is your favorite photograph of yourself? What is your least favorite? If possible make photocopies of both and write about what you most like—and dislike—about these representations.
  English / Language Arts


• Work with a partner to create a photographic portrait. Before taking the photograph decide what you will wear, and what your pose, facial expression, background, lighting, and cropping will be. How do these choices help to convey information about who you are?
  Visual Arts


• Opie’s Portraits series was informed by several sources, including the work of German photographer August Sander (1876–1964). Sander’s project, People of the 20th Century, was intended as a comprehensive photographic index of the German people. Over some forty years he photographed subjects from all walks of life. Although the Nazis banned the portraits in the 1930s because the subjects did not adhere to the ideal Aryan type, Sander continued to make photographs. The directness of Sander’s portraits continues to influence artists today. Research Sander’s work and discuss why the Nazi government felt that it should be destroyed.
  Social Studies