This week we read about and discussed the beginnings of digital art, going back all the way to the room-sized computers. "New media art," as discussed by Christiane Paul in her introduction, is ever-changing and very dynamic. The piece that we read for class follows the progression of technology and its direct relation to art. The assignment was to choose an artist, presented in the reading, and provide specific information in relation to their work and the processes behind their art. I chose Oliver Wasow's work because his exploration of hyper-realism struck me as interesting and something akin to what I would like to explore one day.
Oliver Wasow's website is set up to display his works digitally. He has them arranged by time period and setting. Wasow's biography is a list of the shows he has been in and offers no insight into his philosophy or process behind his finished photos. However, I feel that Christiane Paul offers excellent insight into photo manipulation when she explains, on page 43, that photo manipulation can break down the connection between the viewer, nature and its specific representation in the photo. Wasow’s work creates a sense of fantasy. His shots and manipulation are of recognizable places but he adds a surreal twist to each picture.
According to "http://members.cox.net/smallworks/wasowbio.html," Oliver Wasow received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College in 1982. Much as we learned in class this past Thursday, Wasow uses various computer programs to collage photos to make "a photographic archive of the man-made and the natural, of past and future, of tranquility and disaster"4.
This view of Wasow's work accurately describes how I feel about his pieces. His earlier works are more abstract in feel, with blocks of color and experimentations with light being the main focus. As his portfolio matures, one can see a distinct shift in his artistic view. He starts to include more recognizable forms and plays with the idea of hyper-realism as discussed by Paul in the reading. His works, such as Paris and Spring Green, Wisconsin, pull the viewer in through a juxtaposition of reality and disaster. I feel that Wasow could be commenting on the inseparable sides of life, how disaster and reality co-exist and cannot be separated. Wasow could also be commenting on the dynamism of life and how it can change so quickly. With such drastic extremes shown in his work, it could easily be showing how scenes and life change without expectation, much like how one's eye travels across a painting or a picture.
Wasow's work is very successful in conveying a sense of chaos within the calm. His work is vibrant and eye-catching. Perhaps I am bias in my evaluation, as I love works such as his, but I feel that his work could not be improved upon, individually. However, looking at his collection as a whole, I kind of wish that some of his works were a little more subtle . I think it would be interesting to explore chaos and juxtaposition in a more subdued way. All of his works are very obviously representing opposites. I am not saying that there is a problem with his works, only that I think it would be interesting to see him explore that avenue of thought.
My uncle is a photographer and has done some work similar to Wasow’s. One takes the extremes of both the lowlights and the highlights and combines them (in photoshop) to create a kind of hyper-reality. The method is known as HDR, or high dynamic range imaging, creates a surrealistic effect. I am not exactly sure of the method that Wasow used to create his works, but I know that it can be done, through the combination of lows and highs, in Photoshop. Here are some examples of my uncle’s work.
sources: 1. http://digitalpat.deviantart.com/
3. Christiane Paul's readings handed out in class
The 'Paris' picture is really interesting, a sort of post-apocalyptic feel and a tinge of steam punk (seeing large rusted or sepia colored ferris wheel leads me to feel thus). As you said, the 'hyper- reality' emphasized through the merging of high and low lights.
ReplyDeleteYour uncle's work is also very eccentric, I mean by that as how he had took an inanimate subject (car) and through the highlights and lowlights gave it a persona, the bottom of the piece seems as if even though the car is old and ruined there also seems to be light emanating from below it. A life sprouting from beneath the hunk of metal.
Another view I have on the car is how it is positioned upright. It is seemingly bipedal like a human, so this could also constitute the life giving theme this piece of work has. Including the many colors and signs representing the diversity amongst the human race.
That photo of the van is called HDR, high dynamic range. HDR is kind of a digital hack to get around the limitations of the medium. Film has better contrast; with digital if you have high contrast in what you're shooting you'll probably lose detail in the really bright and really dark parts of the picture.
ReplyDeleteGoogle HDR sometime if you want your mind to be blown.