Sunday, October 31, 2010

Artist Review #8: Brandon Merkel

After half an hour of repeated clicking on StumbleUpon, I happened upon this artist. Brandon Merkel publishes little of his personal life, aside from his age (29) and his location (NYC). His work, however, I think says a lot of him as a person; I find this refreshing, as it allows his work to stand alone.

This work stood out to me for several reasons: the colors, the textures, and the subject matter. Merkel uses an intense yet rustic palette. If I were trying to replicate this effect I would probably use a sepia photo filter to overlay over the image. Some of his works appear muted and desaturated-- like the bottom three, though I think these fit with the brighter tones of the top two. Merkel's work can also be characterized by its use of texture: the artist uses water often to contrast the desolate, decaying scenes he photographs. While some budding photographers fall in to the trap of going in to an old building and declaring each and every snapshot "art," Merkel truly achieves this goal by shooting beautiful scenes with debatably ugly subjects (such as the messy room in the middle photo).

Though Merkel's work bears little resemblance to my own, we seem to be drawn to the same sorts of venues. Though while Merkel shoots a large scene with intense colors, I generally choose small details to capture in black and white. His work inspires me to go in search of reflections though; I find the bottom two photographs fantastically stunning.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Artist Review #7: Andrej Belic

There is no other medium that promotes adventures as much as photography. When I try to come up with images for my studio critiques, I find myself planning trips to locations all across the East coast. These images remind me a lot of my own scuba diving endeavors; sadly, I was not able to document my dives like Belic. I found him on Stumbleupon and was struck by the ghostly quality present in a lot of his images. Likely due to the low visibility of the water and not to any artistic choices on Belic's part, I find myself wondering what is happening in the corners and crevices of the wrecks that he shoots. In particular, the first and second images stand out to me. The first shows the interior of a ship buried in the sea, the decay clearly evident in the algae-filled corridor. I like that this image leaves a lot to the imagination; I like not knowing what lies beyond the door in the back left corner. All sorts of exciting fish or sea life could be inside and Belic keeps his viewer guessing.

I like photography that doesn't exist solely within the context of the image. I guess the same could be said for books and movies; I like when there's some component that remains unsolved and somewhat mysterious. In a lot of my images, I try to distort and abstract my subjects. I guess I'm trying to create some sense of mystery within my works, though in a decidedly different way than Belic.

Link:
http://www.abelic.net/

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Artist Review #6: Ellen van Deelen

When creating my portfolio for grad schools, I noticed that my work is sometimes really harsh. The strong lines and the geometric vision lends itself well to architectural photography, though at times I almost wish my photographs were more accessible and gave a better sense of who I am as an individual. Ellen van Deelen's photographs are an example of a soft, compassionate aesthetic; a type of photography I admire, yet can't quite bring myself to create.

I really like the way she uses human objects to make rats seem completely adorable. In giving them this human quality, she encourages a lot of people (who would normally be repulsed by these gutter-dwellers) to reconsider these animals. When I see her images, I think of my own rats. Though they're anything but human, it's common for me to associate them with decidedly human traits. I also like that she seems so compassionate in relation to her subjects. I get a sense of Deelen as a motherly figure: patient and understanding of her rats, who likely want nothing to do with the miniature strollers she places beside them. When I photograph structures, I feel the same sort of intensity for them as Deelen does for her pets. There's something about photographing (either an object or an animal) that forces you to consider every single detail; I hope that this intense sort of passion comes across in my images. So, while I have no desire to create softer images like Deelen, I do think that we have similar ways of looking at the subjects we choose to work with: Deelen for her rats and me for my buildings.

Link:
http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=545092

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Artist Review #5: Hiroshi Sugimoto

Some of Sugimoto's photographs:
I'm drawn to several of Hirshi Sugmoto's series, but in particular to his architectural photographs. Unlike most photographers who capture architecture either by photographing it from new angles (new vision photography, along the lines of Lucien Herve or Maholy Nagy) or at interesting times of day, Sugimoto captured his subjects by blurring them. He used a large format camera, which is generally used when one wants to capture small details. However, instead of focusing on details, he left these images unfocused.

I remember watching a video on Sugimoto in which he explains that his technique speaks to the architect's preliminary ideas concerning their structures. In recreating architecture in its initial stages, he references an often-overlooked part of the design process.

His work contrasts my own, but I find the ideas he presents to be fascinating. I feel as though it would be terribly difficult to go to Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye and not photograph it in minute detail; Sugimoto must have been quite consumed and devoted to his idea for this series in order to prevent himself from capturing it in focus.

Link: http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Artist Review #4: Chema Madoz

Some of Chema Madoz' images:
I remember the first time I saw his work; I was attempting to put together a last minute presentation for a photo class that started in 20 minutes. Though most of the other photographers I chose did not impact my thinking or my art at all, Chema Madoz's work was an exception. I was captivated (and still am) by the way he blended seemingly unrelated objects in a way that made perfect sense.

In the second image, he draws on kitchen imagery, referencing a plate set out to dry on a rack after an after dinner cleaning session. However, instead of photographing this act in a typical way, he replaces the dish rack with a storm drain. Despite the disjointed nature of a plate and a storm drain, these two components blend seamlessly in this photograph. Chema Madoz repeats this surrealist tactic in his other images: he mows the carpet, drops the end of a spoon on another spoon, and creates a crosswalk out of astroturf. His work does not resemble my own, but I am drawn to the way he blends fantastical ideals with real elements to create cohesive pieces.