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Lot Essay
In recent years, photographic images of adolescents have challenged our long-held notion of the innocence of childhood for all kinds of reasons. The work of the Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra, best known for her series of teenagers posing on the shores of beaches across the globe, is a prime example of how otherwise harmless images can be interpreted in ways far beyond the artist's original intentions. In all of her portraits of adolescents, teenagers, and young adults, she cleverly combines formal classicism with brooding psychological intensity.
Generally standing in bathing suits with their hands at their sides, the teens were diligent, calm and curious. In one, two African-American youths, one tall and one short, stand on a beach on Long Island. While the taller boy looks vulnerable and sensitive, the shorter one challenges the camera with an aggressive stare - together, they provide the flip sides of the adolescent equation. In the present work, 'Coney Island, New York', a young girl stands on a cold, deserted beach wearing a bathing suit in which she has just been swimming. Her whole demeanour suggests extreme discomfort, yet she holds her pose with a mixture of pride and obedience.
Generally standing in bathing suits with their hands at their sides, the teens were diligent, calm and curious. In one, two African-American youths, one tall and one short, stand on a beach on Long Island. While the taller boy looks vulnerable and sensitive, the shorter one challenges the camera with an aggressive stare - together, they provide the flip sides of the adolescent equation. In the present work, 'Coney Island, New York', a young girl stands on a cold, deserted beach wearing a bathing suit in which she has just been swimming. Her whole demeanour suggests extreme discomfort, yet she holds her pose with a mixture of pride and obedience.