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Semester B: Discourse Work
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Saturday, 29 March 2008
Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer who's style of photography is described as being a combination of documentary and filmic, with each of his images being created in large and elaborate sets (see image below) similar to those used by film crews. His photographs are usually set in normal and everyday scenes and settings within suburban America. Yet his images explore beyond that, by creating often quite dark and dramatic images, Crewdson makes you question and wonder what is going on. The combination of the ordinary verses the supernatural theme that runs throughout his work creates an interesting atmosphere.
Crewdson's image of a woman floating (left) in what appears to be her flooded living room. Her blank expression gives us a sense of her rather surreal situation. This photograph seems to reference the painting "Ophelia" (right) by British artist John Everett Millais.
This image of Crewdson's (left) reminded me of the scene from the "Wizard of Oz" (right), where Dorothy's house lands in Oz. The fact that the house in Crewdson's picture looks out of place, broken, and has landed in the middle of a road links with the movie. Even the colour and shape of the houses match each other.
Although flowers appear a lot within his photographs, this particular one (left) seemed to represent the beanstalk from "Jack and the Beanstalk". Crewdson even included a man climbing the beanstalk, making you link the two together.
1. Cotton, C. (2004, reprinted in 2007). The Photograph As Contemporary Art. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, pp. 68.
2. Luhring Augustine Gallery. (2002). Gregory Crewdson Press Release. [Online] Available at: http://www.luhringaugustine.com/files/de5b8a67.pdf (Accessed: 29 March 2008).
Image Credits:
All Crewdson Images are from his book, "Twilight".
Crewdson, G. (2002) Twilight. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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Gregory Crewdson
Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer who's style of photography is described as being a combination of documentary and filmic, with each of his images being created in large and elaborate sets (see image below) similar to those used by film crews. His photographs are usually set in normal and everyday scenes and settings within suburban America. Yet his images explore beyond that, by creating often quite dark and dramatic images, Crewdson makes you question and wonder what is going on. The combination of the ordinary verses the supernatural theme that runs throughout his work creates an interesting atmosphere.
Having worked on several series throughout his life, from photographing fake animals and insects with replicates of his own body parts to the more mundane scenes, each image has its own surreal mood. My favourite series however is his "Twilight" shots. Taken between the years of 1998 to 2002, Crewdson photographed scenes that referenced "sci-fi films, fables, modern myths and theatre".1
Crewdson's image of a woman floating (left) in what appears to be her flooded living room. Her blank expression gives us a sense of her rather surreal situation. This photograph seems to reference the painting "Ophelia" (right) by British artist John Everett Millais.This image of Crewdson's (left) reminded me of the scene from the "Wizard of Oz" (right), where Dorothy's house lands in Oz. The fact that the house in Crewdson's picture looks out of place, broken, and has landed in the middle of a road links with the movie. Even the colour and shape of the houses match each other.Although flowers appear a lot within his photographs, this particular one (left) seemed to represent the beanstalk from "Jack and the Beanstalk". Crewdson even included a man climbing the beanstalk, making you link the two together.Crewdson's photographs of this "psychological realism"2 he creates makes within his work unique. His use of theatrical lights and stages turn everyday life into something more. The way he introduces these well known stories into our world, turns our reality into something it isn't and is the reason why "Twilight" works.
1. Cotton, C. (2004, reprinted in 2007). The Photograph As Contemporary Art. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, pp. 68.
2. Luhring Augustine Gallery. (2002). Gregory Crewdson Press Release. [Online] Available at: http://www.luhringaugustine.com/files/de5b8a67.pdf (Accessed: 29 March 2008).
Image Credits:
All Crewdson Images are from his book, "Twilight".
Crewdson, G. (2002) Twilight. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
- Millais, JE. (1853). Ophelia. [Online image]. Available at: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Millais_-_Ophelia.jpg (Accessed: 29 March 2008).
- Unknown. (1939). Wizard of Oz. [Online image]. Available at: http://screencapheaven.com/testcoppermine/displayimage.php?pid=46588&fullsize=1 (Accessed: 29 March 2008).
- Garner, D. (Unknown). Jack and the Beanstalk. [Online Image]. Available at: http://allpoetry.com/images/ext/Item/3414/796.jpg (Accessed 29 March 2008).
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