art + film » Inspirations

Cinemetrics

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:24:00 +0000

Cinemagraphs – art or gimmick?

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:07:41 +0000

I’ve been thinking about the emergance of cinemagraphs, at this early stage I think there could be something there. I just hope it doesn’t end up like the ‘make everything miniature’ craze which will surely be an upcoming photoshop filter ‘Miniaturize’.

My fave cinemagraph is the girl in the mirror, by Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg.
“There’s something magical about a still photograph – a captured moment in time – that can simultaneously exist outside the fraction of a second the shutter captures.” —Jamie Beck
You can visit her blog here

Read more on Cinemagraphs on Juxtapoz and on The Huffington Post

Photographer – Lise Sarfati

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:02:23 +0000

The photographs of Lise Sarfati’s series ‘The New Life’ are not based on film, but on Dante’s ‘La Vita Nova’. To me, the narrative feel of this work suggests a cinematic timeline, and in her interview Ms. Sarfati remarks (English translation from French) “The series is made as a moment that sits between two concepts. There is an intangible concept a hesitation…an indecisiveness that is developed here. I think they are between two states of mind…”



Lise Sarfati from FLY16x9 on Vimeo.

Robert Longo: Shadows and Forests

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:58:57 +0000

UNTITLED (ET IN ARCADIA EGO)

UNTITLED (IN THE GARDEN, ET IN ARCADIA EGO)

Like Beric Henderson, Robert Longo also finds inspiration in shadows and forests.
These works are currently on display in the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain. Nice, France until December 20, 2009. I was lucky enough to attend the opening of this retrospective and to meet the artist. The work was incredible and I have been a huge fan of Mr. Longo’s work since I first saw the Men in Cities series in the late 80’s. I even saw his film Johnny Mnemonic in the theater. See all of Robert Longo’s work on his website
Dawn Dudek

Shadows, cinema and the art of noir.

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:33:37 +0000

Hitchcock's 'Shadow of Doubt'

Why do shadows recur so often in my writing, photos and paintings? Not wanting to delve too far into my own psyche, I can only say that I was undoubtedly impressed as a child by film noir (especially Bogart films such as The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo) and Hitchcock films, and I still am. The portrayal of the otherworldly side of society and the darker side of human nature was powerfully conveyed on the big screen by extensive use of lighting effects and shadow. Night scenes with single-source lighting and long shadows were especially effective and suspenseful. I find that shadows provide an outline of form, but to me they are transient, vague and often hallucinatory. These qualities allow the shadow to serve as metaphors for a range of dramatic feelings and emotions. The ambiguity of the shadow is another critical element and one reason they feature in my thoughts and creative work. I lived in Europe for several years and loved the forests, spending invaluable time in Switzerland and Germany walking amongst the trees. European forests often have a gothic feel, a dark brooding and mysterious quality which is incredibly enticing. The German expressionists and film directors such as Hitchcock used this to great atmospheric effect. There are ultimately very few pictures I create which do not have a tree, or part of a tree, in there somewhere. In many of my paintings I search for classic frames of reference, often using forests as backdrops or street-lights to illuminate critical elements in a scene. Those elements within the composition are usually carefully constructed but almost always are based on one of many spontaneous ink sketches I produce in my spare time (ie. late at night). The use of shadows can heighten both the perspective or depth of a scene and its mood. And not infrequently, a shadow will take centre stage and provide the focal point of a painting.
Author: Beric Henderson

Five Films that influenced Gregory Crewdson

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:05:01 +0000

Brief Encounter by Gregory Crewdson

From Five in Focus interview with Gregory Crewdson, here are the five films that influenced him as a photographer.
1. Vertigo
2. Night of the Hunter
3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
4. Blue Velvet
5. Safe
To read the full article click here

Fellini in Paris

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:57:11 +0000

From October 20, 2009 – January 17, 2010 JEU DE PAUME in Paris will showing the creative context of Fellini’s work. The exhibition includes drawings and photographs by Fellini, as well as original film posters, period magazines and excerpts from his films.
For more information visit www.jeudepaume.org

Time Magazine article on Jeff Wall 2007 MOMA retrospective

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:43:33 +0000

Wall talks freely about his debt to filmmaking, his desire to achieve the beguilements of cinema. (One day someone will have to attempt a history of cinema-envy in the arts.) Some of the photographers who make staged images have virtually become directors. The American artist Gregory Crewdson operates like a small studio. He conceives his pictures, casts them and then has complicated sets constructed and lit by large crews. Klieg lights and fog machines are involved. Like a good director, he doesn't even always get behind the camera himself. He's directing--somebody else can click the [...]