After looking into Gregory Crewdson's work, I feel that Moscow-based photographer Katerina Plotnikova is similar in the content of her work.
Similarly to Crewdson's work, she creates a haunting atmosphere in nature however she draws her inspiration from fairy tales. Her portfolio of work features enchanting young women lifted by spirits, floating in skies, and entangled in the branches of trees.
What drew me to the similarity is the hauntingly empty landscape with just one or two subjects as the focal point.
The artist that relates to him, as he states, Edward Hopper a painter of surreal scenes. I can see very much how he is influenced by this artist, mainly because Gregory Crewdson's photographs look like paintings themselves. He also has a sense of Documentary style but with a surreal twist. One particular painting of Edward Hopper's, Nighthawks looks like that picture they showed of the girl at the petrol station. This is because of the composition and the use of light, they also link because if you saw these scenes in the street you wouldn't think anything of them. But they way the photo was taken it makes it look interesting and worth taking a picture of.
I think Stephen Shore (as stated) is a large influence. Crewdsons image 'Brief Ecnounter' and Shores image 'Victoria Avenue' are very similar in the compositional features and the atmosphere created. Both of the images show an intersection in America and are taken from similar angles and perspectives including the traffic lights and cars being the main focal points. However one difference is that Crewdson creates a colder atmosphere and has very dark lighting compared to Shores image which is alot lighter and creates more of a 'busy atmosphere'. I personally think that Crewdsons composition is alot more simplistic and creates more of a focal point within the image which in this case is the car in the centre compared to Shores which is alot fuller and doesnt have a specific focal point.
In this interview he states that is work is an "open question that's never fully resolved" this shows through in the sense of mystery and suspense he creates in his photos. He compares his work a lot to film and this is where in influence of Hitchcock shows though, their ability to create suspense in ways others can't. This is similar to the work of Cindy Sherman in which the view is left confused about what is going on and having more questions than the piece provides. They also share an underlying surreal tone. The colours in his work are very similar to those of Edward Hopper.
Well during the video he actually describes his work as being physiological fears and desires. But I mainly see fear because most of his photographs are very dark and slightly disturbing since they show no expression of happiness. Also I think emptiness is a key theme in his work because a lot of his work such as; Brief Encounter, Maple Street, and Merchant Row all Show landscapes of streets and towns with abandoned cars in the roads.
If I was inside this photograph, I would feel quite tranquil as everything is still and calm. Although there could be an eerie aspect as it is based on his fears. Also I would be full of uncertainty as you wouldn't know what may happen next, as he explains in the video, he describe his work as between before and after life. This is shown throughout his Twilight series :-) woo
If i was in Crewdson's photographs i would see a few objects and an empty scene. I would feel uncomfortable and exposed. They seem too unnatural as they don't include much movement within the photographs and the lack of props is noticeable. If i was in his photograph my main emotions would be solitude, fear and uncertainty; there is usually only one character within the photo looking depressed and lost. Each of the photographs looks as if they are stills from films and would not appear out of place in a horror or post apocalyptic film.
I think his influences from Cindy Sherman are quite clear as to the every day life situations. I find this style of photography quite interesting as it's looking at why photography was formed in the first place and what most people see photography as (capturing every day moments).
After looking into Gregory Crewdson's work, I feel that Moscow-based photographer Katerina Plotnikova is similar in the content of her work.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to Crewdson's work, she creates a haunting atmosphere in nature however she draws her inspiration from fairy tales. Her portfolio of work features enchanting young women lifted by spirits, floating in skies, and entangled in the branches of trees.
What drew me to the similarity is the hauntingly empty landscape with just one or two subjects as the focal point.
The artist that relates to him, as he states, Edward Hopper a painter of surreal scenes. I can see very much how he is influenced by this artist, mainly because Gregory Crewdson's photographs look like paintings themselves. He also has a sense of Documentary style but with a surreal twist. One particular painting of Edward Hopper's, Nighthawks looks like that picture they showed of the girl at the petrol station. This is because of the composition and the use of light, they also link because if you saw these scenes in the street you wouldn't think anything of them. But they way the photo was taken it makes it look interesting and worth taking a picture of.
ReplyDeleteWhich elements of Edward Hopper's work in particular do you think have influenced him?
DeleteI think Stephen Shore (as stated) is a large influence. Crewdsons image 'Brief Ecnounter' and Shores image 'Victoria Avenue' are very similar in the compositional features and the atmosphere created. Both of the images show an intersection in America and are taken from similar angles and perspectives including the traffic lights and cars being the main focal points. However one difference is that Crewdson creates a colder atmosphere and has very dark lighting compared to Shores image which is alot lighter and creates more of a 'busy atmosphere'. I personally think that Crewdsons composition is alot more simplistic and creates more of a focal point within the image which in this case is the car in the centre compared to Shores which is alot fuller and doesnt have a specific focal point.
ReplyDeleteCan you describe the computational features and atmosphere created in more detail?
DeleteIn this interview he states that is work is an "open question that's never fully resolved" this shows through in the sense of mystery and suspense he creates in his photos. He compares his work a lot to film and this is where in influence of Hitchcock shows though, their ability to create suspense in ways others can't. This is similar to the work of Cindy Sherman in which the view is left confused about what is going on and having more questions than the piece provides. They also share an underlying surreal tone. The colours in his work are very similar to those of Edward Hopper.
ReplyDeleteWhich elements of Hitchcock's work are similar in Crewsdon's work?
DeleteHow they are both very good at creating suspense.
DeleteWell during the video he actually describes his work as being physiological fears and desires. But I mainly see fear because most of his photographs are very dark and slightly disturbing since they show no expression of happiness. Also I think emptiness is a key theme in his work because a lot of his work such as; Brief Encounter, Maple Street, and Merchant Row all Show landscapes of streets and towns with abandoned cars in the roads.
ReplyDeleteHow else does Crewsdon demonstrate the theme of fear in his work?
DeleteIf I was inside this photograph, I would feel quite tranquil as everything is still and calm. Although there could be an eerie aspect as it is based on his fears. Also I would be full of uncertainty as you wouldn't know what may happen next, as he explains in the video, he describe his work as between before and after life. This is shown throughout his Twilight series :-) woo
ReplyDeleteWhat aspects of the work make you think you would feel tranquil?
DeleteIf i was in Crewdson's photographs i would see a few objects and an empty scene. I would feel uncomfortable and exposed. They seem too unnatural as they don't include much movement within the photographs and the lack of props is noticeable. If i was in his photograph my main emotions would be solitude, fear and uncertainty; there is usually only one character within the photo looking depressed and lost. Each of the photographs looks as if they are stills from films and would not appear out of place in a horror or post apocalyptic film.
ReplyDeleteI think his influences from Cindy Sherman are quite clear as to the every day life situations. I find this style of photography quite interesting as it's looking at why photography was formed in the first place and what most people see photography as (capturing every day moments).
ReplyDelete