Every visit to Getty Museum is an inspirational journey. Although Getty does not have as many collections as the some other museums like Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, it always gives me a totally different viewing experience every time. I would attribute this to its constantly updating exhibitions by individual artists. This time, I went to the Light Paper Process- Reinventing Photography, a photography work showcase by 7 artists.
Poster at the exhibition entrance
This exhibition is very special. Though it claims to showcase photographical work, many of the pieces there do not look like the normal photographs! That is exactly the point of the exhibition. The 7 artists are all known for their research on light sensitivity and chemical processing of photographic papers, and their work challenged me to re-look my definition of photography.
Below are two photographs taken with specialized lenses with careful manipulation of light sensitivity. They serve as perfect examples of reinvention of photography from the perspective of light effects.
Shadow Games - photographies with special light settings
Marco Breuer's photographies looks more like a painting than photos- because he actually works without a camera or film! Instead, Breuer uses light-sensitive paper to abrade, burn and scrape away the emulsion layer. Therefore, the resulting work has an effect of abstract drawing and cannot really be replicated. This deliberate misuse of materials and tools is truly inspirational, and provoked me to think of the intersection between arts and science. This intersection is beautiful because artists and scientists "misuse" materials and tools that typically only used in the other practice. In daily life, "thinking of the box" is a quality that many dream to have. This comes from constant practices of "abandoning" the old way of thinking and "misusing" resources in an intelligently way.
Bravo Marco Breuer!
Photograph by Marco Breuer (1)
Lastly, I would like to just showcase my two favorite paintings in Getty-also the two most famous ones! No matter how many times I have been to the museum, I never get tired of looking at them (:
Irises, Van Gogh
Haystacks, Claude Monet
Proof of Admission
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