Serie 83 1969

This is ‘Serie 83’ by Peter Blake from 1969. It's a photograph that has been treated in such a way as to look old. I'm fascinated by how artists engage with art history, not just what they make, but how. Peter Blake seems to be riffing on the entire tradition of the nude, but he's doing it through this sepia-toned, antique-looking photo. I wonder what he was thinking about as he printed it? Was it a wink at Victorian erotica, a comment on the male gaze, or maybe just a playful remix of art history tropes? That sepia tone, it's not just a color, it's a feeling, a memory. It’s as though Blake is painting with time, layering past and present. Artists are magpies, always borrowing, stealing, and transforming. That's how art evolves, and it’s interesting to consider the artist being in conversation with their predecessors.