Hollywoodland

The white letters of the Hollywood sign lean and stretch across the Los Angeles hillside in Alain Godon’s Hollywoodland. With their supports exposed, the letters look like the back of a film set. The title recalls the landmark’s original wording, while the painting shows the nine letters that stand today. A red biplane with white stars climbs above the sign, a tiny figure balanced on its upper wing. On the ridge, antenna towers cut into a sky of curling clouds and a sun drawn in sharp rays. Lower down, small figures among the cacti and scrub offer a sense of scale. The eye moves from the monumental lettering to these miniature scenes, as if the hillside were a film in progress.