Lance Armstrong
Photograph by Annie Leibovitz, Oswald Gallery
When I look at Lance Armstrong’s thighs I get weak in the knees. The sinuous calf, the knee straining like a neck … then those thighs. Naked, with tan lines, head down in the rain on the bike. This is the photography of Annie Leibovitz. It’s downtown at the Oswald Gallery, so you can see it on your lunch hour. Their new space on Congress Avenue houses a large collection of fine photography. There is only one Leibovitz there, and it’s a celebrity portrait, but it’s sweet!
Annie Leibovitz stages her work carefully in a studio, arranging elaborate sets much like fashion(able) photographer/artist Matthew Barney. She makes people act, so glimpses of personality shine through. Lance Armstrong is the million-dollar man and will be for a while. He’s a national hero that appears in expensive car ads and attends charity events with Sandra Bullock. Since the picture was actually shot indoors and not at an actual race, the lighting is fairly even and bright, and Lance becomes a breathing emblem of toughness — an avatar of endurance. It’s easy to ignore the tan lines from those goofy spandex tights and the fake rain because those thighs don’t lie. I’m glad Lance has the confidence to do nudie photos. He’s a Texan after all. He’ll try anything once, or five times.
This article appears in November 7 • 2003.