I appreciate what artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto said about natural light and his use of it when working on compositions, (from the assigned class videos). When I researched Hiroshi further, I found his work focusses on the briefness of life and the engagement between life and death, I felt inspired to continue with my idea of “Vanitas” Still life photo’s.
http://www.artnet.com/artists/hiroshi-sugimoto/
https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s3/hiroshi-sugimoto-in-memory-segment/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_Sugimoto
The set up for the still lives was at my home in my art room. I started early mid morning when I noticed the sun shining through the south facing window. Dappled light filtered through the window blind created a soft warm effect. I quickly set up my table with still life, “Apples and Pears”. I kept the blind pulled down to help create a soft luminescent background to the still lives. To the side I hung an old canvas sheet and stood a reading lamp to the side of the set up. I used my digital camera to help me get an appropriate light reading. This did not work for me. I think I need more practice at that. I set up and photographed three different still life’s in a span of four hours. By noon the sun was too intense and bright to continue.
Even though the way I incorporated the filtered light through the blind for the backdrop is unconventional I still like the way my photo’s turned out.
Still Life #1 “Vanitas with Mandolin, Ukulele and Teapot”
Vanitas
In the mid 1600 hundreds the Dutch Republic gained independence from Spain and flourished in the international trading market. This newfound wealth along with the Protestant practice of rejecting religious art and iconography motivated the recent wealthy to commission artworks which demonstrated their newfound wealth. You will see that I attempt to recreate Pieter Claesz painting Vanitas Still Life from the mid 1600’s.
Oil on panel, 36 x 59 cm
Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg
https://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/claesz/vanitas1.html
Still Life #2 Vanitas
In “Vanitas with Apples, Pears and preserves”, I incorporate the balance between life and death. Notice the aging fruit apples and pears with rotted spots and leather skin juxtaposed against the jars of freshly preserved fruit. With this still life attempt to recreate Paul Cezanne’s, “Basket of Apples” 1895, as it is his representation of creating art permanence.
“Basket of Apples”
Paul Cezanne, (1836-1906) a French painter in the medium of oil sought to expand on the theory Impressionism and create works of art that were less ephemeral and more lasting in nature. His still life “Basket of Apples” shows his talent in representing objects in shapes that suggest their image and juxtaposing colour to create an impressionistic feel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Basket_of_Apples
https://www.royal-painting.com/Paul-Cezanne/The-Basket-of-Apples.html