Thursday, April 2, 2015

Weekly Artist Post - Simone McPhail

Viviane Sassen



These photos are portraits that are focused on the color and shape of the bodies rather than the shape. The lighting looks to be possibly external maybe headlights in the last picture, but certainly sunlight in the first two. These pictures are framed so that the background of the pictures pulls our attention in every way to the subjects. There is also something interesting about the colors and for lack of better word, props, used against the browns of these subjects' bodies. 

With these pictures Viviane aimed to explore the western thought of "other" bodies and colors. She does this by putting those bodies in a light (not always literally a light, but sometimes) that questions the thought and preconceived notions of western ideals. This internet is reached by lighting, color and framing on her part. The props that she uses like the milk, the blue powder, and even the colors of the blue chair against, the red shirt and the yellow stripes in the pants; these elements seem very elementary but they draw are attention to these bodies in a wonderful way. 

I enjoy the motives as well as the aesthetics of these photographs. the colors used highlight the beautiful browns in the subjects' skin. The middle picture with the blue powder struck me specifically because of the silhouette look the photograph has, the blue pops so vibrantly off of the dark tones of the subject. the photograph of the chair struck me because of all of the primary colors against the reddish brown soil, you have no choice but to explore the action of the body inside The chair. the last photograph reminds me very much of the "got milk campaign, which is most likely intentional. all three pictures strike me because in these three photos no one is looking at the camera, which is something I've been exploring  in my own photography.

No comments:

Post a Comment