New Work:
To date, I have completed four pieces in this latest photography project. Each of these pieces represents a unique and intricate process that required months of work to bring to completion.
STILL LIFE
The still life has been a staple of Western art for centuries, but in this series, I recreate the works of the masters and allow them to decay over time, challenging our preconceived notions of beauty and perfection. The moldy and wilted fruits, drooping flowers, and decaying food items symbolize the transience and fragility of life itself.
I aim to highlight the idea that beauty is a fleeting and elusive concept, and that life is not always what it seems. The decay of these objects serves as a metaphor for our own mortality and the unachievable nature of perfection. This series invites the viewer to consider the cyclical nature of life and the inevitability of change and decay.
The series is a commentary on our cultural obsession with youth, beauty, and perfection. It serves as a reminder that life is a fragile and fleeting thing and that we should cherish every moment while we have it. Overall, this series is a thought-provoking and visually stunning work of art that invites the viewer to question their own values and beliefs.
Ultimately, this series challenges viewers to embrace the impermanence and fragility of life, rather than striving for an unachievable and unsustainable ideal of perfection.
Carl Schuch was an Austrian painter who was associated with the Munich school of artists in the late 19th century. He is known for his still-life paintings, which often featured simple objects arranged in a naturalistic way.
Carl Schuch: Bundle of Leeks with Cheese Bell, Pewter Pitcher, Plate of Apples and Napkin 1886/88
Schuch was part of a circle of artists in Munich known as the Liebl circle. This group was named after the artist Heinrich von Zugel's mentor, Johann Georg von Dillis, who was known for his landscapes and still-life paintings. The Liebl circle consisted of artists who were interested in naturalism and focused on capturing the beauty of everyday objects and scenes.
The Liebl circle was part of the larger Munich School of artists, which was a significant artistic movement in Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Munich School was known for its focus on naturalism and realism and included artists such as Franz von Lenbach and Wilhelm Leibl. The movement had a significant impact on the development of modern art and its legacy can still be seen in contemporary art today.
In some ways, Schuch's focus on presenting the beauty and simplicity of everyday objects in his still-life paintings can be seen as a forerunner to the aesthetic and visual culture of social media today. Social media platforms such as Instagram, for example, are often filled with images of people's daily lives, their experiences, and the objects that they find beautiful or interesting. In many cases, these images are carefully curated and edited to present a particular aesthetic or visual style.
Like Schuch, social media users often seek to present an idealized and aesthetically pleasing version of their lives to their followers. They carefully select and edit their images to create a particular mood or aesthetic, and often focus on the beauty of every day rather than the darker or more complex aspects of life.
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes: Slices of Salmon
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes: Three Salmon Steaks
Slices of Salmon, created by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes between 1808 and 1812, is widely regarded as one of his most famous still-life works. This piece not only showcases Goya's mastery of technique, but it also breaks from the norm by adopting a minimalist style with only three salmon steaks arranged on a simple surface. The foreground salmon fillet overlapping the middle ground piece adds depth and visual interest to the composition.