Jeff Wall, Gregory Crewdson, and John Baldessari

Watching the three movies one really stood out in my mind and that was on the one with John Baldessari. He didn't make much sense to me in the movie. I would watch and listen to him I got to think, does this guy really know art? I couldn't quite wrap my brain about what he was saying, then I had to dig deeper into his art. It is all about perception. He takes items that would be magnificent art and seems to add something to it: may that either be good or not is in the eye of the beholder. At the same time he really makes you wonder, what is considered art??? I think the more we dive into it the more difficult that answer would be.

Gregory Crewdson

Of the three artists I think Gregory Crewdson had the most interesting work, it was visually appealing and had a very erie, but almost voyeuristic quality because the images were often private moments that it feels like weren't meant to be seen. But they are portrayed so beautifully that its almost impossible to look away. 

-Jessica Stockton

Gregory Crewdson

I found Gregory Crewdson's work to be the most interesting and aesthetically pleasing of all of the photographers that I've seen thus far in this class. Though his images are often eerie or even disturbing, they are also beautiful in a very alien fashion. The use of light is very strange but captures the eye almost immediately. If ever I were to be a photographer it would be in the vein of Gregory Crewdson (albeit at a much smaller scale). He pursues one of my favorite thing about art; the ability to capture reality, and then, surpass it.

Gregory Crewdson

I liked the art of Gregory Crewdson the most of the artists we saw in class. His photos were my favorite so far in class. I liked the sort of eeriness that his photos had. They took time to plan and make, not to mention the large amounts of money they took. His use of contrast, between the light and the shadows, had a lasting effect with me. The photos were well thought out and visually pleasing, even if they had a weird sense of dread.

Derek Klayum

Gregory Crewdson....is pretty much a badass.

At first when watching the video about this artist I wondered to myself if he was circumventing part of the difficulty in photography by creating his scenes. Then I realized that is exactly what he (and that enormous crew) are doing and its awesome! I love the way so much of the work captures light. Coming from the engineering dept before switching to DTC I still have a fascination with physics in general and light in particular. Light is such a paradox in so many ways: constant relative speed, wavelike in nature and yet also particle like. The particles are apparently massless and yet they (photons) are particles so it seems mass must exist in at least some infinitesimally small amount. It is mind-blowing how so many of Gregory Crewdson's photographs capture this ethereal 'substance' and make it stand still for you to observe.

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is an artist that goes beyond beauty. Yes, his photographs must be beautiful but, he is looking for that underlying edge – whether it is anxiety, fear, or isolation. Crewdson is a leader in the use of staged events and constructed models in his photography. He uses these big stages to conduct these moments in the narrative, he likes that a photograph restricts him to only capture one moment of the story. His photos encourage the viewers to imagine and wonder that has just happened and what is coming next. I like that all of his pictures are rich with color; there are so many different aspects to the photograph that your eye has to wander the whole image. Crewdson is very aware of every inch of his photograph which makes these images so interesting and beautiful.

- Racheal Johnson-

Gregory Crewdson

I really liked Gregory Crewdson's work. I think that the way the he captures stillness and time is amazing. All of his images that I saw were very visually appealing even if they may have been dark subject matter. The was he stages his photos are so perfect, every person is in their specified location and the light works with them so well. The sense of mystery and beauty he portrays is so captivating.

Video Response: Wall, Crewdson, Baldessari

Of the three artists we looked at in class, my favorite was John Baldessari, mostly because some of his work was pretty humorous. 

But to be honest, I don't consider much of these artists' work 'art'. Personally, I just don't like nude photographs, it's almost too real for me; it's not necessarily pretty to look at. 

What stood out the most to me about Baldessari's work is that in some instances, he didn't need any images to convey a message, sometimes art can be just words. 

But shouldn't there maybe be some kind of guidelines as to what is considered art?

Mayra

Wall, Crewdson, and Baldessari Video

The artist I would like to talk about is Gregory Crewdson. After watching this video segment on him, I realized that I have seen in his art before. His pictures are very elaborate and look like as if they are a freeze frame from a movie. I don't think the amount of work that goes into his pictures is really worth it. It just seems like once someone incorporates all of the fancy bells and whistles to get that perfect picture, where is the talent? Anything can be done if there is enough money to do it. His picture are great to look at, but that's it. My question to the class is: Is it fair to compare Gregory Crewdson's work to that of other photographers or should it be in a category of its own?

Chad Miltenberger

Art inspired by art and film

Sudden Gust of Wind

Jeff Wall interview & retrospective, SF MOMA

Gregory Crewdson

Crewdson Ovation TV interview

Gregory Crewdson $1million photo shoot