Common Themes: Falling in Contempory Photography (UPDATE)

fall5 © elijah gowin. 2006 All rights reserved.

La chute © Denis Darzacq. 2006 All rights reserved.

Porch © kerry skarbakka. 2002 All rights reserved.

Its always interesting to me to see how different photographers approach the same themes. Notice how the environment, coloring and location set the mood as well a composition. If you're up in new york you have a chance to go see Elija Gowin's project at Robert Mann Gallery on 210 Eleventh Avenue between 24th & 25th Streets.

Thanks, "Anonymous" for pointing out two other Falling/Jumping works. One is by Yves Klein, a French Artist who worked in the 50s and early 60s. In 1960 he documented a performance of him jumping off a ledge and the resulting phtoograph as documentation entitled Saut dans le vide (Leap into the Void).

Saut dans le vide (Leap into the Void). © yves klein. 1960 All rights reserved.

The other Artist mentioned is Bas Jan Ader who is another performance biased artist whose work is now largely preserved at photography.

Broken Fall (Organic) © Bas Jan Ader. 1971/94 All rights reserved.

I also just remembered that Young British Artist group member Sam Taylor-Wood has a whole series of falling and suspensions that are also strikingly along the same lines as the works above.

Self Portrait Suspended I © Sam Taylor-Wood. 2004 All rights reserved.

Self Portrait Suspended VII © Sam Taylor-Wood. 2004 All rights reserved.

Bram Stoker's Chair II © Sam Taylor-Wood. 2005 All rights reserved.

Falling VI © Sam Taylor-Wood. 2003 All rights reserved.

Artists look different

According to this study, artists look different. No, they don't mean physically - apparently "artists" look differently at images visually examining more of the whole image then just key features.

I wonder who their study used for the artists and did they include photographers in this pool of artists to study? Maybe they see differently from other artists? maybe they see the same or maybe this is why some magazines have been separating photography from art all along.

A NEW KIND OF ART ROYALTY

In the article by Daniel Grant on artnet "A NEW KIND OF ART ROYALTY" he raises a subject I have often thought about, fine art royalties. In many arts in America, Film, Literature, Music... once a piece of artwork is sold and then resold there are additional payments to the creator. In America this is not the case for fine artists once an artwork is sold there is no more money to be made. In Europe and Britain there is a relatively new system in place to try to address this Inequity. Somehow America needs to have this issue addressed as well, anyone know a Congressperson that they can propose this to?