Artist Review #14: Vincent Vega

I found Vincent Vega's work on a website dedicated to 6x6 medium format photography. I've been considering saving up/begging for a 6x6 MF lately and Vega's work has all but convinced me. The crispness and intensity of his photographs are stunning. I can't help but think that his work would be significantly hindered with a lesser format. Vega's work captures simplicity and I'm especially drawn to the second images of this sequence. I love how the background seems as though it's a studio backdrop, given authenticity only by the almost-black rocks that stem from the center of the image. The quietness of this photograph is incredibly beautiful; Vega's minimalist images are examples of photographs that I would love to be able to find and take for myself.

Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vincent_vega/

A Personal Review

Since coming to college, I have all but abandoned drawing, painting, and various sorts of mixed media. It's not that I wasn't skilled at doing these things, but when I think of how much anger and frustration they caused me throughout my early scholastic and personal life, I feel repulsed. Ever since I was little and used to nibble on my sandwiches to create perfectly straight lines (a habit I sadly have not yet abandoned), I've been obsessed with perfection. My art is not apart from this fixation.

In order to assemble a portfolio for graduate school, I've been looking through my old work. After all, admissions committees want to see that I can hold a pen and use it to draw a straight line. The work that I once thought of as terrible and imperfect now appears well-executed and completely in line with my interest in architecture. Here are a few of my old paintings:

Looking back at my old work makes me think that it might be time to return to other medias in addition to photography. For the past few weeks, I've been craving to build something; to feel materials beneath the tips of my fingers (aside from photo paper, that is) and to work with and manipulate them. I love the way the mechanisms of my manual camera function and respond to my touch, but there's something to be said for creations made in a wood shop or on a dusty floor. Paintings like those shown above breathe and show evidence of craftsmanship. This chai table too is evidence of my ability to fashion something created entirely from myself:

I set out to photograph architecture in order to better understand it; I wanted to truly learn the principles instead of just reading about them in a textbook. For me, photography is a method of observation but also of interaction. I have a profound connection with each of the buildings I capture. I touch them, I walk around them, and if possible, I climb to their peaks. Taking a picture of them only aids in my understanding of their symmetry, functionality, and spatiality. I have been interacting with buildings in this fashion for 11 months now. At this point, I feel ready to attempt a new method to understanding buildings; I feel ready to create one.

Photographs shown below of architectural observations/interactions:

Artist Review #13: Simon Hoegsberg

I found Simon Hoegsburg on StumbleUpon and was especially drawn to his series entitled "Faces of New York." For this project, Hoegsburg approached 10 strangers on the streets of NYC and asked them to comment on their own face. He then photographed his subjects in a mid-shot and a close-up.

At first, I viewed the images, trying to form my own opinions of each of the characters. For these people, I would have stereotyped them 1) This guy seems like someone to avoid. He looks as though he's snarling. 2) Grandmother type, put together. 3) Artist/musician/not from the area. 4) Old school, baroque styling, out of place. When I read each of the statements, I was really surprised by what I found. 1) Was a crime victim when he first moved to NYC. Adopted a harsh expression to make sure it wouldn't happen again. 2) Used to be beautiful, trying to accept her age, political writer. 3) African, at first didn't know of his origins, wears eyeliner. 4) Attracted to the past, identifies with the women in museums, not the starved models she sees on TV.

I wonder what I would say if someone walked up to me and asked how I felt about my face. Would I comment on the features themselves or my expression? How would my life and my experiences come across to a complete stranger? I applaud Hoegsburg for attempting this project; asking to photograph people can be scary enough, but asking them intimate questions while invading their personal space is even more daring.

Link: http://www.simonhoegsberg.com/