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Seeds and cigarettes

Gregory Crewdson's art has a distinct style and has signature characteristics. His drawings feature people, one or a few, in a painfully detailed setting. Yet despite all the engaging things that surround the humans, they seem oblivious to life. The man on the left seems lost in the pouring rain, stranded on the side of the road, perhaps with no where to go. At the same time however, the emotions associated with a situation like that--frustration, panic, an urgency to stay dry--are missing. The man seems oblivious to the rain falling on him and his suitcase. It almost as if he has lost the ability to communicate with the world around him...to react or appreciate. In many of Crewdson's work there is a pattern of open doors (cars and bedroom doors) with a strange gleaming light that illuminates certain objects. The man is lifeless but he is surrounded by life as indicated by the lights in the store window.

Other oils by Crewdson, unlike the street piece above, are in a contained space. In this dinner scene the family members are sitting at the table but are not engaging with each other. What is interesting about Crewdson’s art is that is seems almost photo-like in its attention to detail. Photographers try to capture life and emotion through their photographs. Crewdson instead tries to capture a scene that should be animated but their faces are stoic, devoid of emotion.

Hocks’ art mixes photography and painting to create a simplistic scene revolving around one central character, the artist himself. In contrast to Crewdson’s work, Hock’s is very engaged with his surrounding and has a certain, almost childlike curiosity about his environment. In each piece Hock is the only character and is stuck in the middle of a predicament that he must solve whether it be hanging from chandeliers, escaping from a cat, or being tied down by strings like the picture above. The environment takes on a life of its own because there is no indication of any other human life besides the old man in a business suit. While Crewdson’s color choices are cool colors, Hocks’ colors have warmer hues, inviting the viewer in.

As a photographer Jeff Wall finds many different connections in what he photographs. Many of his photographs are of people on the street and in other natural situations. He is very realistic in what he chooses to shoot and pays close attention to space. In many of his photos there is a depth of deep space that goes into the background. In the photo to the left, entitled Milk, Wall uses the random explosion of the milk to contrast with the strict, tension filled patterns around it. The milk has energy and motion while everything around it remains stagnant. The bricks are orderly stacked as are the stairs in window. Even the man's posture has tension, with his left arm held rigid, muscles jutting. There is also attention paid to the horizontal vs. vertical lines. The bricks, the sidewalk, and the arm are horizontal, but the shadow between the brick walls is vertical and the left strip of wall moves in the vertical direction. The beautiful random motion of the exploding milk is a release of tension. It is never possible to have complete order. Chaos is inevitable.

Cindy Sherman, like Hock, photographs herself as the protagonist. Hock however, stays the same character despite the changes in his environment. Sherman is a different character in each of her photographs. Her appearance is altered through her wardrobe, hair, make up, and lighting. At times she interacts with the innanimate objects around her, but o
ften the shot portrays her face and body in a dramatic or emotional state. She uses body language very effectively in portraying the mood. The consistent message of all her photographs is the different roles that women have come to fulfill and be expected to fulfill from olden days when they posed for portraits to fairy tale princesses and witches to scarcely clad women of the modern era. In this photograph Sherman uses black and white to offset each other. The woman she portrays is mostly clad in dark clothing and has dark hair and makeup. Her stern expression and offensive body language also radiate a rebellioness or angry strength.

In stark contrast to the black and white shot, Sherman shoots herself as vulnerable in the above photo. Stripped of make-up and in a stance of defense, Sherman creates a sense of fearful urgency through the specific illumination of the face and the position of the hands, as if ready to run away. The messy wet hair also suggests a story.