art

The Contrast in Being

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The following series reminded me of a line from the song Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z: “…concrete jungle where dreams are made of…”. But this concrete jungle seems to overtake and isolate it’s creator. Let alone its dreams. The human beings stuck in between the dream and the reality. This wonderful photo series shot by Dutch photographer Job Jonathan Schlingemann gives us a glimpse into this contradicting world.  A world between beautiful geometrical shapes of the sky scraping buildings and the tiny, seemingly insignificant but nonetheless driven, people who walk among them. The artist is fascinated by the contrasts he sees:

I am fascinated by this business districts with all its concrete and geometric shapes and in between those huge buildings, the human being. This human being seems driven by a purpose; his function in this world. He seems isolated. The contrast between those two sometimes seems almost poetic.

The photographs are beautifully lit. The photographer really knows how to find that perfect moment to share his fascination. The light and the colors are just marvelous.

Job Jonathan Schlingemann’s website: www.splinter.tv

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A Realistic Impression

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Many photographers take great inspiration from the works of painters of the 18th and 19th century. The way Vermeer and Caravaggio played with light. Or how Van Gogh and Monet took things to a complete new level by painting an impression of life. By not taking things too literal. The series Reckless Unbound by Christy Lee Rogers reminds me of a combination of the two. The light in the photographs are amazing and the scenes seem to give an impression of a sensual dance. Just wonderful. Plus the fact that the photos are taken underwater (what you might already have spotted) and that they are created entirely in-camera, makes for a wonderful series. Check out her website to see more of her work.

Christy Lee Rogers’ website: www.christyrogers.com

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Impossible Photography

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Creating something impossible is what many artists like to do. When it comes to painting or drawing a piece of art, it seems that the artist is free to create anything. In photography this seems harder to do, mainly because of the photorealism that is a big part of our understanding of photography. But with a little manipulation and with some wonderful ideas one can be as free a painter. Erik Johansson is someone who really goes the extra mile when it comes to creating an impossible photograph. And with the photorealism still intact , he manages to create weird, funny and amazingly creative photographs. Watch his TED talk and be amazed by his work.

Erik Johansson’s website: www.erikjohanssonphoto.com

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Edible Portrait

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Chef and co-owner of the two-Michelin star restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Rene Redzei has been photographed for magazines before. But never like the creative team of Mexican magazine Golpe Avisa did. They used the menu of Noma and created a portrait made entirely by the food and drinks they offer to their customers. Resulting in a wonderful, edible and creative portrait. It captures the chef, the restaurant and his speciality all in a single frame. Watch the movie below and see the team working out this photograph.

Golpe Avisa’s blogpost: blogolpeavisa.com/2012/07/clase-premier-rene-redzepi/

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All Different Shades of Mankind

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The color of the skin has been, and unfortunately still is, a reason to discriminate. Somehow we human beings have to label people for our own comfort. And the first impression of someone is one of the mayor influences in this labeling process. But how many colors are there? If you say a person is black, brown, white, yellow, red or something in between, what do you really mean? We only have a few words to define so many colors.

Brazilian artist Angelica Dass started a project called Humanæ. She strives to record and catalog all possible skin tones. By using the PANTONE® color scheme. Visit her website and look if your skin can find a matching PANTONE®  code. A wonderful project showing us that there isn’t just one black, white, or whatever.

Angelica Dass’ website: humanae.tumblr.com

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Distorted Self-image

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Every artist will create a self-portrait once in a while. Whether it’s a study to try out some new ideas or a piece of remembrance for history’s sake. Rembrandt did it. Picasso did it. Cindy Sherman became famous with it. And today it seems that Photoshop gives photographers the same freedom every painter enjoys when creating something. Yet there are still artists out there who create everything without that useful digital tool.

And that makes the work of Laurence Demaison, French artist, even more wonderful and special. She’s an artist who shoots on film. The photographs are not manipulated afterwards. Sometimes she does play around with the chemicals a bit, but that’s it. Her work consists out of self-portraits that give me a sense of deepness and seriousness. The distortion of herself seem to resonate a deeper meaning. A meaning that go further than only her self-image. Often the finished images shows us a figure, not immediately recognizable to be Laurence herself. Her work brings me in a melancholic state of mind. What it does with you? I don’t know. Visit her website and see for yourself.

Laurence Demaison’s website: www.laurencedemaison.com

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Flower Power

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Karl Blossfeldt photographed flowers and plants early in the 1900s. Documenting them as study subjects for his textbooks and later photo books. The study of things is a thankful and very important subject in photography and art. How better to describe something then by showing it in full detail. And thus creating a typology like the famous works  of Bernd and Hilla Becher.

Brendan Fitzpatrick has taken the works of Blossfeldt to a whole new level. He photographs the same study subject Blossfeldt did, only he did it with an x-ray camera. Showing things Blossfeldt could only dream about. The beauty of nature captured in electromagnetic radiation.

Brendan Fitzpatrick’s website: www.brendanfitzpatrick.com

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