Thursday, November 19, 2015

Betty Gowans - Weekly Blog Post 15

Alexi Hobbs


These images appear to me to maybe have been taken with a large format camera, possibly digital, but I'm fairly sure it is large format. They seem simple in composition and in nature, but use light and color in a wonderful way. There is a rough triangular shape in the composition created by the trees in the first image. There is also a subtle contrast between the blue-green in the fog and the yellow light illuminating the branches. In the second image, the striking red is contrasted by the lack of other objects in the frame. At the top of the frame, there is a band of reddish brown that is out of focus that reciprocates the tones of the berries, but less saturated. The third image is vignetted a bit and has a lovely red-orange gradient. The strip of light is slightly off center, and the hand is placed in the middle, creating a contrast between vertical and horizontal in the frame.

His work feels like it plays with archetypes in theme. Color plays a huge role in this. The third image would have a much different feel if it wasn't red, same with the berries. Light is important as well, hugely so in the first image; however color is such a key thing for the second and third images. The first image feels like an appreciation of nature, or beauty in the natural world as the fog/light shields the viewer from what may be a building or a fence in the background, bringing our attention to this beautiful moment where the trees are illuminated and the industrial/human hand is hidden, though still present. Image two could represent archetypal fire and ice, innocence (or loss thereof), blood, sacrifice, passion, or disorder. The hand in the frame appears feminine, but the photographer doesn't lend us that information fully, so the viewer has to interpret the gender connected with the hand in the frame. The third image can have some similar archetypes with the red color (passion, sacrifice, etc.), but it gives a mood of longing. Because the hand is mirrored with its shadow, it could be a search for self or internal conflict. It may also be a letting go of something. They all give me some feeling that there's an underlying psychological connection with all of them (including others from this series).

 His photographs are simple, but are successful to me because I want to know more. They awaken some kind of thought process to me that is subconscious and allow for a lot of interpretation. They are also wonderfully done, in my humble opinion.

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