We are to watch the YouTube video about Gregory Crewdson and consider a few questions.
Do you think there is more to this work than aesthetic beauty?
Most definitely! Personally I find his work to be rather quiet, but at the same time surreal, yet voyeuristic with overtones of psychological drama with perhaps a touch of film noir thrown in for good measure. There is an aesthetic beauty to his work in the rendition of his use of light and colour. Because of the huge production team and his process of photographying, his images are very large and as such they draw one into the scene, creating more questions in one’s mind than answers.
Do you think Crewdson suceeds in making his work ‘psychological’? What does this mean?
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary denotes the adjective ‘psychological’ as ‘of or affecting the mind’. When Crewdson places people in his images, they tend to have very static and unnatural stances. They look very stiff. They are sometimes totally oblivious to their surroundings. This creates a disconnect between the beautiful light and surroundings and causes the viewer to feel a little uncomfortable. The viewer is fully aware that something is ‘off’.
What is your main goal when making pictures? Do you think there’s anything wrong with making beauty your main goal? Why or why not?
I think my main goal is to create a message, to convey an idea to the viewer, at least this is what I’m trying to aim for. I don’t think there is anything wrong in making aesthetic beauty my main goal, however it would depend on what kind of photograph I am making. I would probably aim for aesthetic beauty when making a landscape image rather than when making street photography or documentary images. That being said, I’m not a great fan of over-processed landscape photos; a little post processing is fine, but I prefer my images to reflect reality more than showing off my Photoshop skills.
Reference List
Gregory Crewdson’s Photography Capturing a Movie Frame | Art in Progress | Reserve Channel (vidcast, online). 16/07/2012. 27 mins 35 secs. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7CvoTtus34&feature=youtu.be (accessed 10/02/2016)
