Precarious Transition from Girl to Woman

Cover art by Rudy Nappi (1962)

Recently, I've been interested in the use of tableaux in artistic expressions, as demonstrated in my posts on Luigi Ontani's AmenHammerAmeno and the Getty's exhibit on Photography from the New China. A bit of serendipity arrived in my inbox in the form of a message from dnj gallery about the availability of some photographs by Holly Andres. These photos are from her series "Sparrow Lane" which happens to be a work of narrative tableaux. Hurray!!!

The premise is the exploration of emergent experiences of adulthood as a woman from the starting point of childhood as a girl. Andres utilizes the imagery of Nancy Drew to draw connotative values to work. Just as Nancy bravely confronts the mysteries before her, so too do these young women investigate the secrets of adult femininity. Just as Nancy's surrounding carry a sense of menace, likewise the girls of Sparrow Lane transgress into a "forbidden" realm. There is definitely a foreboding mood to these images.

Here are a couple images:

Outside the Forbidden Bedroom by Holly Andres

The Ruby Ring by Holly Andres

These are images that could be drawn straight off of a Nancy Drew cover, but the sexual subtext is unmistakable. I appreciate the nuances of the images. For instance in the "Forbidden Bedroom", I like how the older girl has her hand upon the younger girl's shoulder, as if she's having second thoughts about seeing what's inside yet her facial expression displays a clear focus in the mystery before her. Likewise, the placement of the older girl kneeling at the base of the stairs holding a symbol of passion, while the younger girl looks down upon her with an expression of surprise, implies the attainment of adult knowledge but without full comprehension.

Yeah, I could go on and on about the Sparrow Lane series, discussing color, costume, symbolism and placement. But I recommend checking it out for yourself.

Here's a vid in which Holly Andres discusses the series:

Here's a link to Holly Andres' website.

And here's a link to the Nancy Drew Wikipedia page and her official website.

Enjoy!!!