Growing 1981 Larry Rivers [work] -
Growing Up in 1981: The Life and Art of Larry Rivers
The Historical Context: 1981 and the Return of Painting
The 1960s: Pop Art and Beyond
The Impact on the Subjects:
In subsequent years, the daughters expressed that the filming process was a source of significant personal distress. Emma Tamburlini (née Rivers) has spoken publicly about the lasting negative psychological impact the project had on her life, advocating for the permanent removal of the footage from academic and public institutions.
2. Germination and Seedling Stage
- Late-Career Mastery: While Rivers’ 1950s and 60s work fetches the highest auction prices, Growing represents his philosophical peak. It is the work of a man no longer trying to shock, but to understand.
- Precursor to 80s Figuration: Before Eric Fischl painted the uncomfortable suburbs, or David Salle layered discordant images, Larry Rivers was already deconstructing the self. Growing is a bridge between the confessional poetry of the Beats and the cynical image-scramble of the Pictures Generation.
- The Body as Landscape: Unlike Warhol’s cold, mechanical repetition, Rivers’ body in Growing is warm, leaky, and embarrassingly human. It is a counterpoint to the airbrushed fitness culture of the early 80s (Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons). Rivers’ body does not grow stronger; it grows stranger.
