I was trying to think of some calming art work, because somehow it’s only 10 am on a Wednesday and I’m stressed out.
I immediately thought back to the large-format photographs of Richard Misrach that I saw this past weekend at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. These large vistas of sea and surf take a god’s eye point of view that renders the undulations of the waves in perfect detail. His use of clear, glossy color behind reflective glass and imposing size lets you get swallowed up in a paradisical landscape. Initially I wished I was one of those tiny figures, like the speck on the left side of this detail of Untitled #586-04, floating in clear aqua waters.
Then I realized that the god’s eye point of view created an eiree sense of being alone and watched at the same time. I sensed Paradise could be ruptured at any moment. And then I decided I was much too much stressed for this early in the morning mid-week and went to make myself a cup of tea.
Untitled 642-02
Gorgeous! Definitely calming – helped my mood today 🙂
Hiroshi Sugimoto is a photographer well worth comparing. His large scale seascapes are minimal as well but staddle a fine line of calm and disconcertion. http://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/index.html
Anna, glad it oculd help.
Bill, I see what you mean about Sugimoto’s work, but now you have me on quite a chase trying to find out if a photograph I saw a MoMA years ago is his or not…
Ah, they look lovely.
Large format, eh…! I actually have a kind-of-inherited medium format camera here, an old Hasselblad.
I should probably try and use it. You can pull of some amazing feats of detail with those big, juicy negatives.
If only I hadn’t invested £10k+ into my Canon lenses too…!
Hi, you seem to be a person with many interests. I like your blog and will come back and read it more extensively in the next couple of days. Thank you for the comments on my blog.