Monday, January 25, 2010

Reactions to Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman's usage of black and white photography gives her work a nostalgic and historical vibe. The clothes that are in the images are often antiquated fashions that add to the entire retro theme. Her pieces are very successful in part due to the fact that the compositions are so simple, yet the feelings expressed in the images are often very complicated. The "independent woman" also does not quite match up to the time period that the image presentations suggest. There is almost an anachronism that is apparent with setting and character in her work.

Reactions to Jeff Wall

The works of Jeff Wall display certain realities of life, and more specifically, urban life. There seems to be a lot of "urban decay" that is very prevalent in his works. By this I mean that many of the images display mildly gritty, industrial areas of cities. When I view Jeff Wall's work, I get a sense of many narratives that could parallel with these images. Most of these narratives would seem to deal with unhappy people locked into a relatively unsuccessful vocation.

Reactions to Teun Hocks

There seems to be quite a lot of comedic elements to the works of Teun Hocks. The way that Hocks incorporates himself into his work often comes across as hilarious and comedic. There also seems to be satirical elements to his work too. His pieces also show moods that may arise in areas such as an office or in nature. Creativity and personality seem to be the driving conception and spirit of Teun Hocks's work.

Reactions to Gregory Crewdson

The works of Gregory Crewdson display vacant and empty city/land scapes to me.
However, there is a sense of calmness and coziness to his works. The vacancy that is apparent in his works are portrayed primarily by the perspectives that drive the composition of his pieces. For example, Crewdson likes to use streets and roads that seemingly continue forever in the background. This technique gives his work a mysterious void to the piece that almost brings tenseness and ambiguity to the piece. Crewdson's work is very similar to the filming techniques of Alfred Hitchcock by making buildings, streets, trees, and other background elements enormous compared to any people that are in the image.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Artistic Influences


Fantastic Mr. Fox was a very inspiring movie.
You should watch this movie if you haven't already.







Longcat.
One day, Longcat will save us all from a terrible disaster.
only one word can be used to describe longcat:

respect.