Photo Fiction
Jeff Wall portrayed his work through photography. The photographic story that he presents in the piece, Outburst, 1989, Transparency in lightbox, 7ft 6 1/8in x 10ft 2 7/8in (229 x 312 cm), takes on a fictional story similar to that told in paintings, but in his photography. The image was computer-altered and was meant to portray an image between theater and reality. The theatrics may be seen in the exaggerated interaction between the characters in the photograph. While, the reality is the context of the work place (Fineberg, Jonathan. Art Since 1940 Strategies of Being. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000).
Kerry James Marshall’s “Our Town” 1995 Acrylic and collage on canvas, 8ft 4in x 12 ft (2.54 x 3.657m) depicts an image of exaggerated happiness to the point of criticism. This can be seen in the depiction of the sun with overly spread rays. There is also a satirical statement of the birds that are flying around the neighborhood with ribbons flowing from their beaks. There is also a cultural irony in this image through the depiction of a black family in a well off suburban neighborhood, which the artist feels is not an experience most black families have had. There is also a breaking from this dream image by the placing of squares on the painting emphasizing the fact that this is only a painting. (Fineberg, Jonathan. Art Since 1940 Strategies of Being. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. Page 486-487).
In Matthew Barney’s work Cremaster 4: The Loughton Candidate, 1994. Color photo, plastic frame, 12 x 14in (30.5 x 35.5cm). Matthew Barney had the Cremaster in a series of five films. In this series he performs as a character. These images are known to portray vibrant colors. In the film itself, there does not seem to be a straight story line, but rather a series of random occurrences involving certain characters (Fineberg, Jonathan. Art Since 1940 Strategies of Being. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. Page 483-484. And http://www.cremaster.net/).
The description of Damian Hirst’s work is almost that of a scientific experience, and he depicts images that are not of the norm of what is acceptable in society. Part of the reason that the art that he does is probably not considered of the mainstream way of thinking is because it questions the ambiguity of the human understanding of life. In For the Love of God, Hirst depicts a life sized cast of a human skull. It was platinum, and completely covered with 8,601 VVS to flawless pavé set diamonds. The purpose of the work was to state the mortality of human life. This work was completed in 2007 (http://www.whitecube.com/artists/hirst/).
In the nineties artists began to make works commenting on fashion. Vanessa Beecroft in particular made a commentary on female models. In her work, Show, done in 1998 of April as a live performance at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Beecroft has a group of models stand nude or partially nude on display. These were real women either in black underwear, with a few nudes; the point was to make a statement on how sexuality is commercial and not personal. The models are mentioned not even to look at the audience, they just stare forward (Fineberg, Jonathan. Art Since 1940 Strategies of Being. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. Page 493).
There is a sense of whimsical imagination in the work of Fred Tomaselli. As can be seen in his Families Vireonidae of 1998 as a collage on paper, 11 x 81/2in (28 x 21.6cm), his work’s intricate detail is where his imaginative creativity really shows. In this work his birds are colorful, but they are made of stitching, fabric, and zippers from a sportswear catalogue called Land’s End. He used this material, and placed it on top of Perrin’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds. In Tomaselli’s work, the viewer must look deeper into the piece instead of just glancing at it from a distance in order to fully appreciate it (Fineberg, Jonathan. Art Since 1940 Strategies of Being. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. Page 496-497).
(Could not locate art piece).
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