In the Abstract

Welcome back to another school year.  I hope some of these blog entries can inspire some thought -- and perhaps add an element of visual pleasure to your studies.

In this entry, I'd like to look at the notion of Abstraction

Munch says the red sunset inspired him

When Norwegian painter Edvard Munch picked up a box of pastels and a piece of cardboard, he probably did not know the resulting image would fetch almost $120 MILLION dollars at auction about 100 years later.  This is the highest price ever paid for art at auction – higher, even, than for any of Picasso’s work.

The Scream is one of the most recognizable paintings in modern art and has even been stolen from museums (and recovered) twice.  Kind of reminds a guy of The Thomas Crown Affair.

Clearly, this is an image of huge power to communicate.  Yet it is barely representational at all – nothing in it looks realistic: not the shapes, the colours, the face.  My question to you is two part:  where does the power come from, and is there any way to use a camera to produce images with such power?

ABSTRACTION

You doubtlessly remember the first assignment in this course – to analyze your own images in terms of line, colour, form, pattern, etc.  Abstract photography concerns itself entirely with these dimensions.  It’s a nice discipline to focus on these elements entirely – creating an image of shape, for instance, rather than a snapshot of a building.

Here are some ways in which a few photographers have taken such common subjects as smoke and water and found in them all the elements of art.  Can you identify which elements of style dominate these images?

Paul Bonnichsen has made good use of those long dreary days of winter with poor light outside to stay inside and make fascinating images of smoke curling from incense sticks.  He has had to put a lot of effort into rear lighting, yet the results capture our eye.

Chaval Brasil (who you can find in flickr) uses design elements in all of his work -- but his water splash images are perhaps his most abstract.

Which elements of design dominate these images?  Can you find and focus on them them in your own images?

Finally – just for fun – here is a photographer who has combined images of water and dogs.  It demonstrates wonderful technological skill while communicating a real sense of play.  Seth Casteel is a “lifestyle” photographer with enough fame to appear on Duck Dynasty, but he began his career volunteering to photograph homeless pets.  Who knows what your own future might hold!

For now, just take a moment, look back up at The Scream, ponder it and see if you can put into words the source of power in that image. 

Add  your insights as a comment -- and we'll see if we can better understand why some images have such enduring power to engage the viewer.