Larry Rivers

1972 / 28 min. / color
Directed by Michael Blackwood

Narrated by the artist

Larry Rivers addresses his art with a sense of primal urgency. He allows himself to find inspiration in whatever he is drawn to, driven by his non conforming notions surrounding focus and subject. Like the other pop artists of his time, Rivers found it vital to hone into one space or object and study it until it gained new meaning. Whether it be a body part or a piece of furniture, Rivers explores details so vividly that the subject itself becomes a separate entity, free entirely from the way it is viewed in day to day life. Rivers emphasizes his desire to “destroy the sort of reality of subject matter” (Larry Rivers), using his piece Double Portrait of Berdie to illustrate this concept. By showing the “subject” twice, Rivers is able to make his viewers question the true subject of the painting, and if there is one at all. Rivers seems to enjoy destroying narrative and playing with the mind’s reaction to art. Through his art films such as “Tits”, Rivers explores the boundaries between artist and audience as well as society’s reaction to his intimate and unfamiliar exposure of the human body. Rivers applied his same method of isolating a subject to the naked body, stating that he is interested in “separating one detail from an environment and going at it relentlessly” (Larry Rivers). It is with this intensity that Rivers produces his work, whether his medium be canvas, sculpture or screen.

Biography and significance of Larry Rivers on The Art Story