Growing 1981 Larry Rivers [verified] -
Beyond the Canvas: Deconstructing Larry Rivers’ "Growing" (1981)
The Historical Context: 1981 and the Return of Painting
Rivers originally intended for the film to be played in a continuous loop during a 1981 exhibition of his paintings. However, he was dissuaded by the girls' mother, Clarice Rivers , and the footage remained unexhibited during his lifetime. The Modern Controversy The series resurfaced in 2010 when New York University (NYU) was in the process of purchasing Rivers' archive from the Larry Rivers Foundation Daughters' Stance:
Critics at the time noted that Growing felt like a visual argument with the poet Frank O'Hara (Rivers’ close friend and collaborator, who died in 1966). O’Hara’s poems are light, spontaneous, and joyous. Rivers’ Growing is heavy, labored, and anxious. It suggests that growth is not always upward; sometimes it is just expansion into emptiness. growing 1981 larry rivers
The project remains a significant point of discussion regarding the responsibilities of artists toward their subjects and the legal protections afforded to children in the context of private and professional filming. Portrait of the Artist as Creep - Glasstire Some notable works from 1981 include:
- Layered imagery — fragmented figures, text, and floral/plant motifs
- His signature sketchy line — part drawing, part painting, part collage
- A sense of organic expansion — the title suggests both biological growth and artistic process
Some notable works from 1981 include: