Hollywood’s golden era reimagined

Focused on a time when Hollywood was all about glamour and allure, visitors are also reminded how that image survives within the popular culture of today. Works of art created by German artist Mari Arp cleverly incorporate montage techniques to give these cinema idols a different lease of life. She studies billboards and magazines looking for well-known actresses, models, pin-up girls and starlets, checking out their superficial smiles and retouched beauty.

Her life-size pictures combine their flawless appearance and femininity with unconventional backgrounds, experimental breaks and contrasts. To emphasize the transient existence of these women in an ephemeral world, she powerfully re-colours their eyes, lips, clothing and accessories.

The desire to reach personal perfection is a fragile state of being and her depictions contrast with the original photographs. She shows the women as vulnerable figures rather than symbols of success.

Montage making is a complicated process involving the gentle handling of materials. After many years of experimentation, trial and error, she can peel away the individual layers of an image and impregnate them onto paper. Requiring sensitive handling and even pressure to realign each wafer-thin transfer is time taking and precise.

Arp is able to build up a finely textured surface which cannot be replicated with similar computer-generated images. Additional techniques to apply acrylic, charcoal and pastel chalks need especially careful attention to avoid damaging the delicate surface.

The veneer given to each montage is needed for protection. A clear layer of synthetic resin safeguards the surface, provides depth, intensifies the colours and gives a lustrous appearance. The final result is reminiscent of the cover of a glossy magazine or a subject reflected in a mirror.

Describing herself as a ‘photomonteur’ – the technique is complex but it’s her ideas that motivate her painting. Sometimes looking for an amusing take on a situation but, in the case of every portrait, the viewer should ask this question, ‘Does the smile look shallow?’

Galeria Côrte-Real in Paderne is signposted from Boliqueime, Ferreiras and Paderne Open: Thursday to Sunday, 11.30am until 4.30pm. +351 961 528 679

By Carolyn Kain

Contributor

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