In his process, Gill artistically describes two worlds within his Women in Cars . On the one hand, conveying safety and security in the interior of the car, here the individual can be as she is and give free rein to her feelings. On the other hand, the moment of leaving the car is synonymous with a step into ‘famed’ reality, outside. Who can see me? How do I appear to my surroundings? Am I being the person they want me to be? Gill captured the moment. Press and flashbulbs. One wrong move – thanks to the paparazzi, the next morning the whole world would know. Gill’s approach of portraying famous personalities with Women in Cars was quickly developed further. Once again, as with his famous ‘Marilyn Triptych’, Gill was way ahead of his time, showing what the paparazzi couldn’t, a sensitive, reflective understanding of the figure behind the photograph. Gill’s fascination with the subject would later become all the more poignant in 1972 with his choice to step away from the limelight, and retreat into self-imposed exile at the height of his career, owing to the pressures and lifestyle of celebrity status.
“Gill’s “Women in Cars” are an example of Pop Art permanence. They use forms familiar to us to open new perspectives. They take us on a perpetual journey, mysterious yet communicative.” Women in Cars , coffee table book 2022
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